Meeting to determine the future of historic Opelousas buildings

OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY) -- A building preservation interest meeting that was held Monday may be the first step in deciding what will happen to historic buildings in Opelousas, such as the one on Grolee Street.

The Grolee Street building, which has stood in Opelousas for more than a century, was donated to the city three years ago. For the last several months, the fate of the building has been a major topic at council meetings.

Due to the condition of the building and a lack of a clear vision for it, Code Enforcement believes the best plan of action would be to demolish the historic structure.

City council members, such as Marvin Richard, said it would be difficult to see the building demolished. But if no investors come forward, tearing the building down would be a necessary action, council members say.

Stephen Ortego, architect and former state representative, previously said if the building is given more time, it will be classified in the city's historic district. He said that could open the opportunity for tax credits and spark a revitalization movement of the downtown area.

Attendees of Monday's building preservation interest meeting considered things such as how the city should move forward with the Grolee Street building as well as other buildings that have been on the block for demolition.

Tracey Antee, of Maven Consulting, said the Opelousas community realizes that the city has a rich history.

"And a lot of that literally lives within some of those historic buildings and that there's a group of people that are part of different organizations that are citizens, that are passionate about saving that culture. And part of that is to look at what needs to be done to save those buildings," Antee said.

Another big takeaway from the meeting was the value on communication. More importantly, the communication with everyone in the community to truly find that balance between preservation and progression.

"We want everybody to have a seat at the table. We have plenty of chairs. If you've never been on a board before, I've never served on a committee, but you're passionate about Opelousas or you're passionate about your neighborhood. This is something that you should be involved in," Antee said.

Another meeting, just like the one held Monday, is being planned for the future. However, there is not yet a time and date attached to it.

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