Church Point Museum Getting a Makeover
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Bobcats win, Blue Jays fall in first round Page 7 The Eunice News VOL. 116 NO. 97 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2020 $1.00 Amanda Cain, St. Landry Parish Government finance director, discusses the Parish Council’s 2020 and 2021 budgets at a meeting Wednesday in Opelousas. (Photo by Harlan Kirgan) The Le Vieux Presbytére Museum in Church Point, bousillage. The structure even had a brick wine cellar constructed in 1887 as a home for priests, measures accessible from the central hall at one time. (Photo by 40 feet by 40 feet, with an 8-foot porch surrounding the Claudette Olivier/The Church Point News) structure. The walls are farmed in wood and filled with Parish budget balanced, but Church Point museum questions hover By Harlan Kirgan is balanced.” Editor The parish finances getting a makeover OPELOUSAS — An faced uncertainty from amended 2020 budget and hurricanes that battered a proposed 2021 budget the parish and the CO- Second floor at Le Vieux Presbytère to be opened to public were introduced at a spe- VID-19 pandemic. By Claudette Olivier and a long hallway to reach the brick wine cellar accessible from cial meeting Tuesday. The pandemic caused The Church Point News other two windows — remember, the central hall. The 2020 budget in- revenue shortfalls mainly CHURCH POINT — One of the no air-conditioning. During the In 2007, a group of volunteers cludes an ending balance due to decreases in activ- oldest second stories in Church 11-year restoration, when much collected artifacts, pictures and of $2,123,405 that is car- ity at Evangeline Downs Point will soon be open to the of the building was torn down stories of Church Point and its ried forward into the 2021 and from video poker. public. to its roots, the upstairs was not people, and the building has since ending balance. The 2020 Cain said the racino rev- Local historian Gene slated for renovation. It was left served as the Town of Church beginning balance was enue dropped to zero at Thibodeaux said, “I am not an in whatever condition the workers Point’s museum. The museum was $1,574,569 — A $548,836 one point. architect nor did I see the building left it in.” originally open for tours once a difference. Another major question 100 years ago, but I am familiar One of Church Point’s earli- week and by appointment, and it is Amanda Cain, finance in the 2021 budget is if vot- with the building and have an est, still standing homes to have also available for special events. director, presented the ers will approve a 1-mill, engineering background. This an upstairs area, the Le Vieux Museum curator Harold Fonte budget and said, “I’m hap- 10-year jail maintenance is my opinion — when the pres- Presbytère Museum is undergo- said the two upstairs rooms were py to say the 2021 budget (See Budget, Page 2) bytere was built, there were two ing some major updates, including first occupied by family members bedrooms upstairs, insulated new flooring on the second floor, of Fr. Auguste Vincent Eby who by bousillage. The other spaces an area that has been closed to the was resident pastor of the Sacred (upstairs) were likely never used, public since the building opened Heart of Mary Parish and spear- being so hot during the Louisiana as a museum in 2007. The mu- headed the construction of the summer. They were not boarded seum is closed to the public for the residence. Those family members over — they were never open in updates. were Eby’s two sisters and a neph- Parish meeting the first place. The building, constructed in ew. Eby, a native of Perigueux, “The two upstairs rooms were 1887 as a home for priests, mea- France, lived downstairs. Fonte likely no longer used after the sures 40 feet by 40 feet, with an said the two rooms were likely last addresses soaring porches were enclosed and the bed- eight foot porch all around. The used in the early 1960s and at that room wing added, except maybe for walls are framed in wood and time were still used as bedrooms. storage. In its original state, the filled in with bousillage, and the upstairs had a room on each side structure even originally had a (See Museum, Page 2) virus positivity rate OPELOUSAS — St. which measures human Landry Parish President mobility. Jessie Bellard met with The meeting addressed several parish mayors bars in the parish that are Wednesday about the in- affected by the higher pos- LSU report: Worst may be over for oil&gas crease in positivity rates itivity rates and the gover- By David Jacobs fessor Greg Upton, assume that which could add to the global oil in the parish and what nor’s new modified Phase The Center Square presumptive President-elect Joe supply, and industry efforts to re- the impact of the modified 2. Bellard recommended The worst is likely over for Loui- Biden’s campaign proposal to duce carbon emissions. Ironically, Phase 2. that bar owners follow the siana’s struggling oil-and-gas sec- ban new oil and gas permitting regulatory changes that make it The parish has experi- governor’s proclamation: tor, though employment is unlikely on public lands and waters is not harder to develop oil-and-gas re- enced a second straight For bars in parishes to rebound to levels seen before implemented anytime soon. They sources could benefit certain sec- week of higher COVID-19 above 5% positivity, bars the 2015 crash or even to pre-CO- also assume that trade talks with tors of the industry by increasing positivity percentages. For are closed to indoor sales VID-19 levels, according to a new China will not deteriorate, leading prices for fossil fuels. the week of Nov. 5 to 11, and consumption but open report. to new tariffs, and that the COV- Oil production, both nationally the parish had an 11.90% for outdoor consumption The LSU Center for Energy Stud- ID-19 pandemic is brought under and in the Gulf Coast region, is rate. That number was up at tables only and 25 per- ies projects Louisiana will regain control. expected to decline over the next from the 11.10% recorded cent capacity, with a max- about 2,600 jobs in the upstream “Embedded in this outlook is three years. the week before. imum of 50 people. Social oil and gas extraction and services the assumption that COVID-19 The authors project $105 billion Bellard and the mayors distancing is required. sectors by the end of next year rela- will gradually subside, and that in energy manufacturing invest- agreed to push the mes- Take-out and delivery will tive to the low point in September. a second wave of shutdowns will ment in the Gulf Coast region by sage to their citizens to still be available. Louisiana refining and chemical be avoided,” the authors say. “Yet, 2029. They expect investments to wear a mask, wash hands, Bellard recommended manufacturing employment is ex- within days of sending this [re- consist of $58 billion in liquified and continue to social dis- that bar owners who have pected to increase by about 300 port] off to print, the likelihood natural gas investments (55%) and tance, a parish govern- questions about the modi- jobs by the end of 2021, or about a of a second wave of infections $47 billion (45%) in non-LNG en- ment news release stated. fied Phase 2 should visit 0.8% increase. and associated reduced economic ergy manufacturing investments. St. Landry Parish rat- opensafely.la.gov and reg- The authors of the center’s 2021 activity has increased substan- Most of the total investment will ed a D grade on the CO- ister their business. New Gulf Coast Energy Outlook, LSU tially.” be in Louisiana ($63.5 billion or VID-19 Social Distanc- guidance for the Phase is CES director and professor Da- Other factors to watch include a 60%) followed by Texas ($41.5 bil- ing Scorecard hosted by available for download at vid Dismukes and associate pro- potential re-engagement with Iran, lion or 40%). the website unacast.com that website. Kip & Angie...Teamed Up Again! www.wsbankla.com 1020 West Laurel Ave • Eunice • 337-457-8952 2 Sunday, November 29, 2020 News The Eunice News www.eunicetoday.com the previously unused up- rator and an army of vol- tor was Fr. Eby. Thibodeaux said that when the church decided stairs spaces will be used unteers couldn’t have done “When he arrived, he the building that sat at to demolish the old build- Museum for storage. on their own,” Fonte said. discovered that his church this site was far different ing due to it becoming a (Continued from Page 1) “We will rotate some Meche said the update and his living quarters in from the one Fr. Eby had financial burden.” While the flooring in the of the displays by season, to the museum is long the back room of it were built. In 1910, an annex The church then do- second story hallway was and the storage space will overdue. in a sorry state of repair,” was added by Fr. Auguste nated the building, to be redone with a more mod- allow more items to be “What we are trying to Thibodeaux said. “Fr. Francois Roger, and a moved, to the town, but ern material — plywood housed at the museum, do is get more interest in Eby built a new church kitchen was added in 1928 only the original section and vinyl — wood that Fonte said.