A $16 million sports complex in Natchez is still in the works, according to recreation department director Ralph Tedder, but the works are moving pretty slow.

&uot;The project is in the early stages of infancy,&uot; Tedder said. &uot;But the concept is out there.&uot;

The department, with the aid of several organizations and city and county officials, has worked for two years on a concept to build a massive, state-of-the-art complex on roughly 150 acres located between Natchez High School, St. Catherine Creek and bordering highways U.S. 61 South and U.S. 84 – an area commonly known as &uot;the bean field.&uot;

But the current stage at which the project finds itself requires organizers perform a most difficult task – waiting.

The recreation department needs to lease the land before the project can continue, Tedder said, and the land is currently under the control of the National Park Service. The park service has said it is interested in leasing the land, but only after it has finished restoration work on the Natchez Trace, he said. The Trace will eventually end near where the complex will be.

However, the Natchez Trace project may prove to be a boon for the sports complex, Tedder said. The rear 10 acres of the area in question contains the remains of a French Indian camp. The park service has discussed building an interpretive center there to serve as an exit from the Trace, he said. The parking lot for the center could be shared by the complex, saving a great deal of money, he said.

But leasing the land is only the first of many steps before the complex plans get off the ground, Tedder said.

Part of the plans include constructing new baseball fields for the Dixie Youth Boys organization, and the Mississippi Department of Transportation must approve plans for the relocation of the fields, Tedder said.

Once that is accomplished, there’s the little problem of raising $16 million.

&uot;Whether it’s corporations or federal money or what, I don’t know,&uot; Tedder said. &uot;If all this works and the pieces of the puzzle start to come together, the community will have to come together.&uot;

And the Natchez community will have much to gain from the complex, he said, which will have facilities for a variety of sports, including baseball, softball soccer and basketball.

&uot;Once we’re up and running and hosting tournaments, and people are coming to Natchez hotels start filling up, you’ll see a difference in the local economy,&uot; Tedder said. &uot;There will be a spike in local sales tax revenue.&uot;

The complex also includes plans for a &uot;spray ground,&uot; or water park.