U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran has a vision for Natchez and Southwest Mississippi — and that vision is based largely on the area’s past.

At a speech to the members of the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, the Republican senator from Mississippi, identified several projects under way which he believes will help solidify the Natchez area as a tourist destination, including:

— The long-awaited completion of the Natchez Trace Parkway which, according to Cochran, &uot;is on a five-year-plan that they assure me really is a five-year plan.&uot;

For Natchez, that plan means the creation of the terminus of the Trace … the extension of the popular and historic highway that would bring it into downtown Natchez, not just to the outskirts of town.

— The creation of a lake on Porter’s Creek in Franklin County. This project, which Cochran said has been discussed since he first took office in the early 1970s, has come about through the dedication and perseverance of local leaders whose dogged efforts resulted in congressional, national agency and state agency support for the project. Now, a recreational lake in the Homochitto National Forest will be a reality.

— And the continued growth of Natchez as a historical destination. Building on the model of Harpers Ferry, W.Va., Cochran said Natchez has a strong future if it capitalizes on its past and its history with the growth of heritage tourism. That’s a refrain oft-heard in our community, and it’s interesting to note that our state senator sees the same future for Natchez.

We have benefitted from the support of our congressional delegation in past years, and we hope we can continue to count on that support for the growth and development of Southwest Mississippi.