Arnaudville hospital valued at $184,000

The former St. Luke General Hospital in Arnaudville has been valued at $184,000 in an appraisal presented to the St. Landry Parish Council on Wednesday.
The Council followed the valuation report by Don Leger, an Opelousas appraiser, with a vote to proceed with the sale of the hospital.
A possible buyer was not mentioned at the meeting, but previously the appraisal was requested because an Opelousas attorney may be interested buying the vacant hospital.
The Council did not address a resolution from the Eunice Board of Aldermen asking St. Landry Parish Government and the Parish Council to act on the abandoned Moosa Memorial Hospital.
Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot said he signed the resolution on Sept. 4, which may explain why the Parish Council has not addressed the Eunice request.
The value given the Arnaudville hospital may have an impact in the Eunice hospital’s future. Both have been vacant for several years.
The Arnaudville hospital had an appraised value of about $300,000 several years ago, Leger said. “At that point it was possible it was worth that,” he added.
Councilman Wayne Ardoin joined councilman Harold Taylor in urging moving forward with selling the Arnaudville hospital.
“We are taking a hit every month paying the utilities and upkeep,” Ardoin said.
“We have $71,000 invested already in an attorney, which is out of general fund money,” he said.
The hospital at Arnaudville, St. Luke, was in a hospital district that included portions of St. Landry and St. Martin parishes. The two parishes agreed in 2017 to divide the assets of the hospital district with St. Landry Parish retaining the building.
About $1.2 million was in a bank account. St. Martin Parish was to get about $700,000 of that money.
Leger’s appraisal of the Arnaudville hospital included that it was constructed in 1965 on a 5 acre site. the hospital was last used by Doctors Hospital of Opelousas as a senior care facility that closed in 2012.
Leger stated, “My inspection found the building to be in fair condition. I noted and photographed several areas where the roof was leaking, which was mostly confined to areas along the exterior walls.
“Although I am not a roofing expert, it appears that a second roof was installed over the original roof at some point in the past. This double roof makes it possible to capture moisture between the two membranes, leaving a potential for more leaks, mold and mildew.
“There is one unregistered underground storage tank on the site, likely used to store fuel to run the hospital generator. There also appears to be an unregistered water well on the 5 acre site.
“My inspection found X-Ray machines and related equipment, along with hospital beds and medicine carts which appeared to have been left in place when the facility closed.”
Leger said there is asbestos in the 26,277 square foot hospital and estimated remediation would cost at least $80,000.
“Competing properties all faced the same dilemma with environmental problems. Nationally, only about 50% of defunct hospitals ever sell,” he stated.
While the Arnaudville hospital has been closed seven years, the Eunice hospital has been closed about 13 years.
The resolution passed by Eunice aldermen stated the building is a safety hazard and asked St. Landry Parish Government remove the asbestos and demolish or secure the building.
The hospital was abandoned when the new facility, Acadian Medical Center, was opened on the east side of Eunice.