Sheila Alldredge
January 22, 2008
Lillie Reed
January 24, 2008
After the 2005 storms caused the Thibodaux Civic Center to close, the events center is officially open again for business. The Krewe of Aphrodite’s tableau and ball was the first event at the renovated building.
“It has been a lengthy process to finally reconstruct the auditorium and make it available to the public. I hope the public will come by and view our new and improved facility,” said Thibodaux Mayor Charles Caillouet.
The wind and rain from hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped the roof off the civic center. Civic Center Director Trudy Clement said the facility has had a $3 million makeover, paid for through the building’s flood insurance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“Hurricane Katrina tore the roof off and Hurricane Rita flushed in all the rain, ruining the entire building,” she said. “Luckily, we had insurance and the city’s expense was very minimal.”
The newly remodeled interior of the building includes a new arena, which set the building’s insurer back $2.2 million. A new stainless steel catwalk, sound system and floors were also installed.
Clement said this is the first time major construction work has been done at the building since it was built in 1971.
The repairs to the building started in 2005 immediately after the wind and rain subsided. Clement said revenue from use of the building was lost for eight months after the storm.
“We couldn’t have any events in the building because it was too messed up,” she said.
In April 2006, one of the ballrooms, the Plantation Room, reopened for smaller events like wedding receptions, band concerts, dance reviews and other community events.
“This was a help because we were able to get people back in the building,” Clement said.
During the remodeling, some workers were transferred to other city departments but several stayed and helped with the repairs of the building.
The newly remodeled building has unofficially been named the Warren J. Harang Municipal Auditorium after the late Thibodaux Mayor Warren J. Harang, who was instrumental in getting the civic center built 36 years ago.
The official dedication of the building will be held in late March or early April.
On a daily basis, the civic center is used for recreational events and community events. During seasons like Mardi Gras and Christmas, the building is used for parties. Clement said the use of the civic center is booked until late June.
The facility is open for walkers from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Clement said, “The daily walkers put a lot of pressure on us to get the building up and running. They were really excited about the reopening.”
The 2005 hurricane season unloaded its wrath on the Thibodaux Civic Center, closing the facility for two years while workers repaired the damage. The $3 million makeover is complete and the doors reopened earlier this month. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN
