– The St. Martinville City Council gave owners of a blighted property located at 817 St. Martin St. 90 days to clear the property after discussing the issue at Monday’s City Council meeting with the daughter of one of the owners.
An unoccupied house on the property has fallen into disrepair and has been declared a nuisance property by the city’s property inspector. Otis Chatman, the city’s zoning coordinator, said the city has received several complaints from neighbors about the house, including that dogs that live in the house occasionally get out and threaten people in the area.
Wanda Anthony, the daughter of one of the heirs to the property, said that currently one family member’s dogs have the run of the house and can enter and leave through open windows.
Anthony said the home is still in her grandparents’ names but her mother and her mother’s two brothers inherited the property.
“The house is horrible and something needs to be done,” Anthony said. “We want to tear it down because we don’t want anybody to get hurt from all the activities we hear have been going on (in the house). No one’s really living there.”
The house has no electricity or running water she said, and Mayor Jason Willis said the roof is in bad shape and it is easy for people to break into the house. The house is not in good enough shape to be boarded up to keep intruders out, he added, and the city property inspector condemned the property.
“The owners, all of the owners together, if they knew or should have known that there were defects in the property and people going in there, and somebody gets hurt, then all the co-owners are potentially and equally liable for any actions that happen,” city attorney Allan Durand said.
But since the city has found that the property is a nuisance because of its condition, the council can order the owners to clean up the nuisance either by bringing it up to code or by tearing it down.
Chatman said it would cost more to repair the house than the property would be worth, so the most feasible option would be to clear the property.
Property
After the council voted to give the owners 90 days to clear the nuisance, Anthony said the family would be able to tear the house down in that time.
Upcoming events
The council heard from Culture, Recreation and Tourism Director Danielle Fontenette about two upcoming events and voted to close New Market Street during those events, scheduled later this month and in October.
The African American Museum requested permission to close New Market Street and Evangeline Boulevard on June 21 from 9 a.m.3 p.m. to hold a Family & Friends Day event.
The event, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., will feature dominoes and various card games for adults and some games for children. No alcohol will be sold but food vendors will be set up along New Market Street.
The council approved the request.
The council also approved a request for the street to be closed for The Grand Reveil Acad ien/Great Acadian Awakening to be held Oct. 16 from 3-8 p.m.
St. Martin Parish Tourism Director Laci Laperouse said the event is held in Acadiana in years following Le Congrès Mondial Acadien (The Acadian World Congress), which is rotates through various French-heritage countries every five years. The 2024 Congrès Mondial was held in Nova Scotia in Canada.
“The following year is when Louisiana puts our Great Acadian Awakening, our smaller version of the Congrès, if you will,” Laperouse said. “It’s a week-long event, so it’ll be in Lafayette one day, Abbeville one day, and so on.”
The event will be in St. Martinville on Thursday, Oct. 16, on S. New Market Street and part of Evangeline Boulevard with vendor booths and live music by Amis du Teche and Corey Ledet performing.
Food demonstrations, dance lessons and visits from French-immersion schools are scheduled.
The council approved the closing of the streets for the event.
Mayor’s report
The mayor reported on summer activities in the city including basketball summer camps for boys and girls ages 7-12, to be from 9 a.m.noon from June 7-July 26. Those interested should call 337-3942233.
The parish library also has summer activities throughout the summer.
Week 1 of the Cultural Camp will be July 21-25 from 8 a.m.-noon, and Week 2 is from July 28-Aug. 1 from 8 a.m.noon. The camp is for children ages 7-13.
The governor’s office also set up a Home Ownership Town Hall in the city on June 11 to help residents become homeowners, covering different programs to help people. See related story in this issue of The Teche News.
Other business
In other business, the council rescheduled its budget hearing to June 16 at 4:30 p.m. and will discuss the budget for the upcoming year.
Ordinances will be introduced and voted on for the amended budget for 2024-25 and the budget for 2025-26 fiscal years.
