Horse farm barn to be demolished
By: Megan Hargroder
After multiple debates and protests, the barn on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s horse farm property will be demolished.
The State Office of Facilities Planning and Control, which approved UL Lafayette President Ray Authement’s request for the demolition of the barn, made the decision. Although Authement has the final say in whether or not it will be torn down, the Save the Horse Farm organization said it will continue to fight.
“We intend on using the money we’ve raised so far to put a fence around the barn and secure it so that we can reduce the liability of the structure for the University,” said Save the Horse Farm spokeswoman Danica Adams.
“To that end, we’ve opened an account with the Community Foundation of Acadiana, and our fund is called the Acadiana Green Space Legacy Fund,” Adams continued. “Any money in that is going to go towards green spaces for Lafayette, specifically for the maintenance and acquisition of the horse farm property.”
The Save the Horse Farm organization has had several architects and civil engineers assess the property to evaluate what it would take to secure and restore the property. It is currently collecting pledges from the community to construct an eight-foot security fence around the barn to minimize trespassing. But is this a battle they can win? Adams thinks so.
“I wholeheartedly believe that everyone wants the best for the community and the community wants this barn to stay here,” she said. “The police horses have a place here, the community wants to be able to drive by and see what Lafayette used to be like. People want to be able to come in and explore this relic of days gone by, and I have no doubt in my mind that everyone involved wants the best for the community.”
Bill Crist, head of the UL Lafayette Physical Plant, said he has no doubt the demolition will, in fact, happen.
“First of all,” Crist explained, “The barn itself hasn’t been used in over 10 years. So it’s been of no immediate value to the university. The condition of the barn, because of its lack of use, we’ve had termite damage and hurricane damage that has actually put the structure in a precarious condition to where it’s about to collapse.”
Crist also said there was a recent shooting on the horse farm property, and liability is one of the reasons the university wants the barn torn down.
"We had to make a decision whether we wanted to spend money fixing a facility that we don't use, or would the money be better spent fixing and repairing facilities that we do use...and it just made more sense to spend it where the students would benefit from it," Crist explained.To voice your opinion, visit www.savethehorsefarm.com or contact Authement at president@louisiana.edu.
Last update: 2007-05-09