New Iberia council reallocates ARPA funds for community center restrooms, Steamboat Pavilion repairs, sewer work and roofs program

The New Iberia City Council voted to reallocate American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to upgrade restrooms at two community centers, add lighting on Bank Avenue, treat corrosion at the Steamboat Pavilion, address sewer pump failures and advance a homeowners roofs program, council members and staff said during the meeting.

The moves are intended to lock in ARPA money the city had to obligate by a deadline and to allow contractors to begin work, Mayor Freddie said. “30,000 is going to Martin Luther King Community Center,” Mayor Freddie said, adding the same amount for Seargate and $20,000 for Bank Avenue lighting. He also described a $45,000 allocation to treat corrosion at the Steamboat Pavilion and other allocations to sewer and housing work.

Why it matters: the reallocations fund upgrades in several public facilities, add exterior lighting intended to improve safety in parks and commit one-time dollars to a housing repairs program the administration says targets the city’s neediest homeowners. Officials said securing the funds now prevents the city from having to return federal ARPA dollars.

Most important facts

- Mayor Freddie summarized the package of allocations: $30,000 for Martin Luther King Community Center restrooms, $30,000 for Seargate (community center restrooms), $20,000 for Bank Avenue lighting, $45,000 for Steamboat Pavilion corrosion treatment and gutter work, $100,000 toward sewer needs and $124,000 toward an initial block of housing work (roofs and related…