St. Martinville – The St. Martin Parish Council honored the life and legacy of the late Doris “Dottie” Batiste Broussard with a proclamation presented to her family at the council’s regular meeting this past Tuesday.
Broussard was the state’s oldest organ donor, making history when her liver was transplanted to a recipient in Tampa, Florida, when she was 91. At the time, she also was the oldest person in the United States to donate an organ.
The organ donation was made through Lafayette General Ochsner Medical Center and the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA).
Born Oct. 9, 1934, Broussard was a lifelong resident of St. Martinville. A graduate of Carver High in Breaux Bridge, she was known for her warmth and generosity, Councilwoman Carla JeanBatiste said in reading the proclamation.
A breast cancer survivor and advocate, she also was known for her culinary abilities. Broussard died in March.
The proclamation said Broussard’s life-saving gift stands as a lasting testament to compassion and selflessness, and that her life was a testament to faith, family and service, and her memory will continue to inspire all who knew her.
Suzanna Morton of LOPA spoke to the council as well and said that Broussard’s organ donation made a mark on the world of tissue and organ donation and encouraged those who wish to donate an organ to contact the organization.
One donor can help up to eight people, she said, but there are 100,000 people in the country waiting on life-saving organ transplants right now, with 2,000 of them in Louisiana.
“We urge people to have a conversation,” she said. “Make sure you talk to your family about it. Let them know what your wishes are. We are extremely grateful for Miss Broussard and her family for honoring her legacy, continuing her legacy,” Morton said.
Harvey Batiste, Broussard’s son and a resident of Los Angeles, thanked the council for honoring his mother.
“It’s one of those bittersweet moments where you’ve got to leave home, come back to where you were born and raised, and to see the outpouring of love that the people had for my mom, at her funeral, especially, I really appreciate it,” he said.
Batiste said that he has had friends from around the country, many of whom served in the military as he did, who visited and knew his mother, who cooked for all of them when they visited her. He also said that he plans to make it a point to visit the organ recipient.
“We appreciate you,” Batiste said to the council. “From my family and everyone else who’s here tonight, we want to say thank you very much. You have a blessed day.”
Road repairs
Councilwoman Tangie Narcisse’s question regarding work on Sieber Road led to a lengthy discussion of road projects in the parish.
Narcisse said she had been led to believe state funding was going to be made available for the work but in talking with State Representatives and others, there are conflicting stories about whether there is funding for the work.
The road is shared by the parish and the City of St. Martinville with about 25 percent in the parish’s jurisdiction and 75 percent in the city.
Council Chairman Chris Tauzin said money left over from money set aside for an interstate study in the parish was earmarked for the Sieber Road project, along with Theobold Road, but the money had been moved in the last round of House voting. He said he believes the money was put back into the account with most of the money set aside for Sieber Road and the rest for Theobold Road elevation work.
The money had been moved to be used in lower St. Martin Parish, which is
(Chris Landry) not in the same Congressional district as Upper St. Martin, Tauzin said. He said he does not know for sure if the money is back in the account to be used for Sieber Road, but the local Congressional delegation is working to have the money returned for its original earmarked use.
‘Dottie’
Parish President Pete Delcambre said there were conflicting reports from Baton Rouge regarding the money and added that concerned council members should meet with the parish administration to discuss the funding of the road projects.
JeanBatiste said she would like to be part of those discussions as part of Sieber Road is in her district, along with Narcisse’s district, so the moving of funds could affect road repairs in her district.
Tauzin also cautioned council members about the scheduled road repair work in the parish’s plans because higher oil prices resulting from the war with Iran will lead to higher asphalt costs and therefore would reduce the amount of work that could be done for the money available. Asphalt is a petroleum product used as a road surface material.
JeanBatiste informed the council that the state has completed work on the intersection of La. 182 and Smede Highway including going across the railroad tracks there. Further construction is being done in the industrial park area at the end of 92-1.
In other business
The council voted to disagree with a recommendation by the parish Planning & Zoning Commission regarding a request by property owner Andrew Babineaux to rezone a lot located at 1002 Orchard Park Drive in Breaux Bridge for use as a parking lot.
The property is adjacent to his night club. As the Planning Commission’s recommendation was to deny the rezoning request, the vote allows the council to move forward with an ordinance granting the rezoning request. The ordinance process will move forward at the next council meeting and the property will be rezoned if the council agrees to the ordinance.
The council also voted to grant zoning exceptions to:
• Scott Lanclos to build a single-family dwelling on property zoned I-1 (Light Industrial) at 1117 Captain Cade Road;
• and to Lawrence Rumble (Donna Belinda Bienvenu) to move a single-family mobile home on property zoned C-2 (Generall Commercial) located at Lot C-2 of Doyle Melancon Road in Breaux Bridge.
The council also adopted an ordinance setting millage rates for the 2026 tax year.
Resolutions passed included one allowing Delcambre to execute a Certificate of Substantial Completion for work on the Box Car Road Roadside Stabilization and Road Repairs Project.
Pamela Lemoine was reappointed to serve as a member of the 16th Judicial District Children and Youth Planning Board in another resolution.
A final resolution introduced awarded the contract for the expansion and renovation of the Central Office Complex Project to apparent low bidder Mourain Construction for $1,302,332.
Ordinances introduced for publication included one by Vincent Alexander prohibiting the parking of motor vehicles on either side of Orchard Park Drive; and one by Chris Tauzin prohibiting the parking of motor vehicles on either side of the first 300 feet of Orchard Park Drive.
