ABBEVILLE — Discussion on the future of Abbeville’s Historical and Cultural Alliance Center has been going on for years. In September, the Vermilion Parish Police Jury discussed potential plans, and for now, the City of Abbeville has not yet made an ultimate decision.
The council said during the meeting they would like to keep the cultural center open, but they need to further discuss the acquisition.
Mayor Roslyn White said, “The Council's decision was to authorize myself and the city attorney to sit down with the police jury president and their attorney to discuss what the best deal would be for both parties and also do one more evaluation of the Hibernia Bank building."
Currently, the old Hibernia Bank building serves the Vermilion Parish Government, but the acquisition would give the city the opportunity to have both the Alliance Center and the old bank building.
If acquired by the city, Mayor White said the cultural center would remain.
"The discussion was about the opportunity to save our cultural center, which means to acquire the cultural center in Downtown Abbeville from the Vermilion Parish Police Jury. Also part of that discussion was the opportunity to also acquire a building that the Police Jury owns, which is an old bank building,” she said.
Alliance President, Lloyd Dore III, is hopeful the center will be saved.
He said, “They were talking about evicting us and we were hoping that could be resolved and it looks like it might be able to be resolved."
Dore said the center is important to the entire parish.
“It would be devastating to most of the organizations to have to move out,” he said.
