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photo by Steve VanGunda
Natchez resident David Cothren walks the bluff near the site of the former pecan factory.
Former pecan factory site becomes an eyesore
Published Monday, July 14, 2008
NATCHEZ — Standing tall on the former pecan factory site is an unruly and unattended entanglement of weeds and grass.
Feeding off the balmy summer heat and endless sunshine, this jungle of sorts has become an eyesore and will be removed soon.
While the property is owned by Worley-Brown, the city has the capability to step in and cut the grass.
According the City Planner John Lewis, the city planning department will notify a property owner of their violation.
“I think it’s safe to say it’s long since overdue,” he said. “The grass needs to be cut.”
He said if the owner does not respond by cutting the grass after a certain amount of time, the city will then turn it over to public works.
Public Works Director Eric Smith said a order has been issued within the public works department.
“We do have an order to cut that,” he said.
He said although the public works department is inundated with orders to cut vacant and abandoned properties, the pecan factory site grass should get cut by next week.
Lewis said once that is taken care of, the department will bill the owner.
Smith said he’s seen the grass out there but needs to reassess the situation to know exactly how much it will cost to cut it.
He said it probably will require one employee doing about three to four hours of work with a Bush Hog and a trailer.
“I could do it for about $200,” he said. “That’s a rough, ballpark figure.”
Municipal Judge Jim Blough said the city could take legal action against the owners of the lot if they so choose.
“They can proceed through the city court on a violation of an accumulation of grass and weeds under the grass and weed ordinance,” he said.
Worley-Brown’s attorney Tim Waycaster could not be reached for comment.
Comments
Posted by Bobaloo (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 2:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
magindat
Posted by SayItRight (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 6:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ahight den. Send someone with a slingblade. Uh huh. Yeah.
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 7:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just let them build the D--- Condos on the site and you won't have to worry about weeds.....the new city planner needs to be fired before he gets to deep into this new life.......fire him quick!!!!!!!
Posted by humorme (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 7:54 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by unreconstrebel (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Uncle Phil never should have had the pecan factory torn down. We don't need no stinking condos. Who's going to live in them. Do you really want a bunch of old meddling yankees from Ohio and New York coming down to Natchez to "summa" and before you know it, they will start to tell us how to run the town.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
there are already some yankees running the town.
Posted by cynthiafleming (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let them buiid the condo's and I don't think there will be much problem with them not selling. Have you seen the veiw they will have????? And, would you REALLY not want a person to live there just because of where they were born????? I'm southern by the grace of God but not everyone is so blessed. Their money spends just a well as mine and most likely they have alot more to spend than I do...I'm just sayin'...
Posted by humorme (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pay Philip West to maintain the site. He needs a job.
Posted by Riffian1964 (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Since Phillip West offered, for free one presumes, to take his sledgehammer and tear down the Pecan Factory, would'nt it be reasonable to expect him to take his mower and cut the grass for his friends Mr. Worley and Mr. Brown?
Posted by natchez500 (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
sir before you cut that grass you better cut ARLINGTON and bill them also or let the old mayor do it he wanted to knock the building down and got away with that so he needs to keep the grass cut
Posted by Wayne (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I favor forcing Phillip West to cut the grass, personally.
Posted by bellesouth (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 12:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Was the Natchez Democrat concerned about the Pecan Factory being an eye-sore? Were they concerned for the safety of children in the neighborhood? The site looks better than when the building was falling down and all the windows were broken and there was debris falling all around for young children to go into and hurt themselves The city could have been held liable if they did. At least the most you can get hurt by grass is a grass cut. Really, what's the point of this article other than to stir up trouble?
Posted by scarlettohara (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Amen bellesouth! nothing more than ND stirring the pot.
I doubt seriously that this one piece of land in question would be reviewed were it not for the fact of who the owners are.
Posted by natchez1 (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 1:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well said bellsouth.
Mr. Worley had already started to improve the neighborhood after he won the bid for the condos, he bought and renovated numerous surrounding properties, if it was not for actions of a small group of anti "progress" people, we would have condos underway or even finished. Ed. Worley has the means to build the condos, he believes he can sell them - he is not a fool, he has been very successful in all his other ventures. He intends to live in one of the condos, they will be a high end development and despite the Natchez Naysayers many people like to live here.
Posted by NoWireHangers (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The housing market is a mess right now. Mortgage companies and banks are failing. The stock market is down. Oil prices are down $10/barrel today but overall very high. Gasoline is $4.00/gallon. Food prices are climbing every day. They are looking at food rationing in the U.K. things have gotten so bad globally. Jobs are tight. Government spending is out of control.
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are in serious trouble as are numerous banks across the country. Please tell me who is going to buy condos on the bluff with the economy in such dire straits? How are condo sales going in Natchez right now? Canal Street Depot? Franklin Street? I haven't heard good news about them, have you? I think Worley/Brown ought to scrap their idea of the condos. Doesn't make economic sense to me.
Posted by james (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
SOUNDS LIKE THE BLUE HAIR CARTEL PUTTING ANOTHER BLOCK ON SOMETHING GOOD FOR THE AREA !
Posted by southerngirl (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
James, why do you continue to scream about the senior citizens ( i guess that is who you refer to as blue hair cartel)?
Posted by humorme (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 4:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Give that guy in the picture a weedeater, he ain't doin nothin.
Posted by happybunny (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 4:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Dahling...if the man wants to put up condos and has the backing to do so, who are you to say he should not based on our current economy. It's none of your business. Last I heard the condos at the depot were selling very well.
Posted by james (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 5:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I DO NOT SCREAM I SPEAK LOUDLY !
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 6:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
james,
I guess you are either referring to the blue hair brigade, the pilgrimage patsy's ,the downtown clowns or the Hysterical society. I understand your feeling. Read my previous post and you will see that we are in agreement.
Posted by xfloodman (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 8:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just cut the damn thing and charge it to them. If they don't pay, take it away from them and sell it. Duh!!!!
Posted by jdmcbth (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 8:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Progress, there is always someone against progress. What is it you want to help the city grow more antebellum homes? Only people that think small, refuse to grow and expand. Many of you complain, do something constructive to help the city go forward. Having Condos on the bluff is better than having a ruined building that has been sitting empty for more than 30 years. Why fight progress, I guess you don't have any options to contribute so you complain.
Posted by DHOLMES (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 9:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Canal Street condo's have all been sold to private citizens...the most foreign owners were from Jackson. The selling price was $100 per sq ft unfinished!
There is another condo project getting started...the owners are called Broadway Holdings and they are renovating the old Lombardo building across Jefferson street from the post office. They are planning new construction on the lot facing Broadway and wrapping around the Jefferson street corner to connect to the Lombardo building. They will sell in the $400k range.
Posted by Inquirer (anonymous) on July 15, 2008 at 9:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh Good Lord!! The place looked like crap for years and years and the city never paid any attention or anyone for that matter. Let them build the Condos!!! We need a little contemporary style in this town!!
Posted by MsM (anonymous) on July 16, 2008 at 1:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Preach, Inquirer, jdmcbth, and all others! Preach! It's about time someone told these people to stop with the whining about any and every little thing that goes on in this city. I have stated many times before that if I were not a citizen (born and raised) of Natchez and if I had to make a decision about moving here based on a lot of the petty comments that are posted on this blog, I absolutely would not want to visit Natchez and surely would not want to move here.
If you can't be a part of the solution, please stop being a part of the problem! If the grass is such an eyesore to you then, round up your posse and go cut it! I'm sure the owners would not mind.
Posted by Roy (anonymous) on July 16, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
And this grass is hurting........who? Come on people get over it. the pecan factory is gone and there is not a damn thing you can do about it. If the grass is that important cut it yourself and when you are finished go rake the leaves in the woods.
Posted by lilbit (anonymous) on July 16, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Petticoat Mafia strikes again!!
Posted by humorme (anonymous) on July 16, 2008 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Rebuild the Pecan Factory! Mr. West what didyou do with all those bricks?
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on July 16, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That pecan factory is a very good example of the arbitrary nature of what Natchez preservationists deem historical.
The old Armstrong Tire building is actually of more historical significance than the pecan factory, being built before the pecan factory and actually having ties to something that affected the whole of Mississippi- the Balance Agriculture With Industry Program begun by Governor Hugh White which introduced state sponsored socialism to Mississippi. This would have been unheard of in Mississippi before the citizens were starved into submission.
"The Mississippi Constitution clearly prohibited the use of the credit of the state to support industrial development and likewise enjoined municipalities and counties from becoming subscribers to capital stock in corporations – the very thing BAWI proposed. To evade the legal barriers, White appointed six Jackson attorneys to draft a bill that would meet the constitutional test."
So clearly the old plant deserves to be preserved for its place in history for its role in cultural development, but we hear nothing from the Preservation Commission about any plans to do so, or anything from the Democrat about who is responsible for cutting the grass on the site.
I would like to see the old plant turned into multi-use, condos for the underprivileged with a museum honoring creeping socialism in Mississippi below, along with eclectic shops catering to the needs of the impoverished.
There is plenty of space in that old building- I can envision gigantic murals in the walkways connecting the shops, murals depicting the heroic struggle of the Mississippi farmer and worker engaged in the daily fight for survival. Throw in some modernistic sculpture by avant-garde socialist artists for the grounds and we have a beautiful example of New Urbanism!
Anyone who doubts the aesthetic beauty of this idea should view Ansel Adam's wonderful industrial landscapes.
Preserve the Armstrong Tire Plant! Let's build the Armstrong Condominiums for the Poor. Hugh White has led the way, let's follow in his honor. Vision with me.
Posted by humorme (anonymous) on July 16, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Bulldoze it too.
Posted by Idefinitelymight (Tom Scarborough) on July 16, 2008 at 1:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I see this story has brought out the usual deep thinkers.
I wonder if anyone here recalls that Mayor West broke the law when he ordered the destruction of the building. All he had to do was wait until the Department of Archives and History gave the city clearance to remove the building, and there would not have been a problem.
Those of us who opposed the demolition of the building did so because of the arbitrary and unlawful actions of the mayor--not because there was any great sentiment to save the building. There is a process, clearly spelled out in the state's Antiquities law, for how to go about removing a structure that has potential historic significance. Do you hear that word, folks--PROCESS. The mayor didn't follow it, and he paid the political price. Follow the PROCESS (i.e. Fat Mamas), and things work out much better.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on July 16, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You don't think the tire plant has historical significance Tom?
It very clearly does.
Posted by Idefinitelymight (Tom Scarborough) on July 16, 2008 at 1:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Marty--Yes, indeed it does have historical significance.
And if a developer wanted it torn down (preferably by a mayor willing to do the dirty political work), he/she would have to follow the same process that should have been followed in the illegal demolition of the pecan factory.
I sent you a PM yesterday. Did you receive it?
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on July 16, 2008 at 1:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
no, I think mine is turned off somehow. I'll send you my email address and you can send it to me directly.
Posted by CtheOtherSide (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 1:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OK, y'all...it's cut now. How's that for the power of media?
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