Parish event center site is in doubt

Difficulties in acquiring land for a parish event center south of Opelousas may force the St. Landry Economic Industrial Development District to seek a different site.
That was one option discussed at the parish development district meeting Tuesday.
Andy Dakin, district board chairman, said Blue Skies, the property owners, included contingencies to not compete with two of its sale dates at a facility south of Harry Guilbeau Road.
Dakin said the non-compete would be OK.
But a provision that the district build a road by 2017 would be a deal killer.
Dakin said plans would have to be completed for the site north of Harry Guilbeau Road off of Interstate 49 and south of Opelousas before a road can be built.
“There is a whole lot of stuff that goes into building this road,” Dakin said.
Blue Skies is asking that the district commit to using the value of the donated land, $250,000 to $300,000, to build the road.
Dakin said the road, a four-lane boulevard, would cost more than the donated land’s value.
An estimate in 2014 was roads, utilities and other infrastructure would cost $6 million to build.
The district’s board rejected the Blue Skies proposal.
At issue is about 24 acres, which includes entry into the project’s 105-acre site. The event center is to be on about 60 acres.
Dakin presented three options involving the project.
The first option is to return to the district’s original plan to offer to buy property from all the landowners for its market price with no restrictions other than to offer the landowners first right to buy their property back if the project fails to happen.
The second option is to accept the donation but only with a non-compete for two sale dates. Other property owners would be paid market value for their land.
The third option is to look for another site.
“It is not the only land in St. Landry Parish that might be suitable to build this facility,” Dakin said.
Danny Lyons, a board member from Church Point, said the district was first told 60 acres of land would be donated.
Dakin said, “I don’t know if this thing will go forward. If it will happen I think we need to let them know we are willing to do these couple of things.”
Dakin said an outside study found the site the best location for the event center, which has been described as a 6,000-seat venue for everything from livestock shows and sales to concerts.
The board agreed to send Dakin and Bill Rodier, executive director, back to the negotiating table.
Dakin said a resolution needs to be made by January.
“There is a process we need to go through to make sure that when we are standing in front of the newspapers down the road and this thing has gone to hell in a hand basket, we can honestly say to the public we did everything we could, but we were not going to mortgage your public funds and do things detrimental to the public for 30 years, 40 years. We are trying to do the right thing in protecting the public interest,” Dakin said.
Rodier said the site is the best piece of property for commercial development on I-49 between Lafayette and Alexandria. He said Bob Giles plans to locate a dealership in the area.
“There is going to be development there,” he said.
The 730-acre Harry Guilbeau Area Economic Development District has been formed with taxing provisions to fund development.
The event center is to be district’s centerpiece attracting thousands of visitors a year. The development would include a recreational vehicle park, shopping, restaurants and residential.