The Village of Elizabeth will celebrate the return to its city hall location, prior to Hurricane Laura, in a building which is 100 years old this year. A public celebration has been set for 6 p.m. Friday, March 22, at 230 Poplar St., Elizabeth.
Mayor Mandy Green knows its been a long journey to refurbish the 100 year old building after Hurricane Laura caused damage that led to mold being found inside. Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, on August 27, 2020, before barreling across Lake Charles and through Allen Parish and must of central and west Louisiana.
The mayor said after the hurricane, two employees became sick. There was water infiltration through the roof which led to mold being discovered; “high levels of mold in every room. Every room had to be gutted; everything removed, then renovated and painted.”
Town hall had to be relocated to the village’s community center in May of 2021. This small community no longer had access to its town hall, which is listed on the historical registry, and it lost rental revenue since its community could no longer be rented for gatherings.
The village reached out to FEMA for help. Officials also used insurance monies, and with the help of local leaders received some state monies to help renovate its historical town hall. The village received $30,000 from the state, which was used to paint the outside of the building. Green said they painted it black and white, so the building looked like it did in the early 1900s. About 90 percent of mold remediation (approximately $198,000) was paid by FEMA.
It’s been a long process, but Green is excited about Friday’s celebration. “I can’t wait to be back in our offices and out of the closet.”
Green said nothing will be moved into the building, so visitors can visit every room. She said they will probably moved the town hall back into the building over the weekend. There may be pictures on the walls of former mayors and clerks, but she said they wanted to allow visitors to visit all of the room during the grand opening.
Seeing the building through its renovation – process is one of the reasons why Green sought re-election in the fall of 2023. She wants to make sure this historical building is renovated and returned to the town’s use in the condition it was before post-Hurricane Laura or in better condition.
“I didn’t want to leave the building in that condition,” Green said. Well renovations are being completed this week, and the ribbon cutting to reopen the space as the town hall is Friday. Green said the ribbon cutting should be about 6:15 p.m.
She also didn’t realize that this was the building’s 100th year in existence. In 1907, the Industrial Lumber Company purchased tens of thousands of acres of virgin pine forests. The company founded the town of Elizabeth and constructed the mill. by 1909, the mill began operations. In 1924, the company built the two-story structure to care for the company’s workers and the town’s residents. When Hurricane Laura struck, the town occupied the first floor of the building as its town hall, and a museum was located on the second floor featuring items from the pine company that once exited there.
Green said invitations have been sent to officials, and the public is welcome to attend. She said there will be finger foods and some door prizes given out. At press time, they had reached out to some food trucks to attend the celebration.
Once the town is back in the historical building, its town hall will be renovated for future use.