A new asset

Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine strolled through the empty halls of the old Heritage Manor Nursing Home.
For years, anytime Vidrine visited the massive cinder-block facility located at 220 South Thompson Street in Ville Platte it was to visit family or friends or for some public event held at the nursing home.
On Friday morning, Vidrine walked the halls as the woman in charge, or to be more exact the one responsible on the city’s behalf, for the structure. That’s because the facility, with its 92 rooms and located on 6.188 acres and any remaining furniture and equipment, was officially donated to the City of Ville Platte on Friday.
The mayor gladly signed her name on the bottom line and was handed the keys to the building. Vidrine was beyond appreciative with receiving the generous gift.
“This is a tremendous asset to the city of Ville Platte,” Vidrine said. “It will provide a place for all the city departments and it will definitely be used in the future for other projects or initiatives that we will be involved in.”
As Vidrine suggested, the city’s goal is to move the offices of public utilities and public works and even the Workforce Commission offices into the one location. The old facility will serve as a place to store large equipment such as the city’s excavator.
What to do with the building had been discussed ever since it was announced in 2015 that a new state-of-the-art facility was being constructed at 2020 West Main Street. That facility officially opened its doors with a ribbon cutting-open house on September 17.
For those that run Heritage Manor, the decision on what to do with the structure was simple.
“It is a great feeling,” Heritage Manor Administrator Trey Prudhomme said. “I much rather see it be donated to the city than have it sold or torn down. It is a good thing that it is being donated to the city. The mayor and the city will make good use of this building.”
The company which owns and operates Heritage Manor, Pathway Management, has a history of making such donations. Pathway donated the Heritage Manor North facility in Alexandria years ago to the Rapides Sheriff’s Office. Another facility in that area was donated and became a battered women’s shelter, while one in Shreveport was donated to a local baptist church.
After receiving a donation offer, and having the city’s legal counsel Sen. Eric Lafleur look over it, Vidrine on the city’s behalf accepted the donation.
“We choose first to donate the building back to the community,” said Harold Gamburg, who is President of Pathway Management. “We make our living in that community, so this is our way of giving back to that community.”
After the paperwork was completed on Friday, Vidrine thanked both Prudhomme and Gamburg for their generosity. Vidrine spoke about how beneficial the building will be for the city, and how they could also expand how and what they use the structure for.
Most of all, Vidrine was excited that her hometown would have one less vacant property.
“We will be so happy to not have another empty building in our city,” Vidrine said. “This is a great thing for our city.”