It was a step city officials knew was coming, but Memorial Hall is finally in the hands of the City of Natchez after a deed transfer from the Historic Natchez Foundation.

Months ago, aldermen approved a $160,000 purchase contract for the building, which will be turned into a federal courthouse.

It might not sound like an economic development project, but that’s part of what a courthouse is. If more trials are held in Natchez, that means more lawyers and others associated with the trials in town &045; and more money spent in our restaurants and in our hotels.

And it also means that the historic Memorial Hall will be put to a new use.

This is a project the city has been considering and working toward for a number of years now. As with any major undertaking, it has taken time to move from idea to plan to the beginnings of a reality.

The speed at which the courthouse project can be completed has been held up not by the city but because of the logistics involved in coordinating so many federal and local agencies to agree on the details.

Despite the delays, we hope this project can help the momentum of other city endeavors.

We have so many opportunities ahead in the coming year.

It would be nice to tie up some loose ends on ongoing projects as we launch others.