NATCHEZ &045; The renovation of Memorial Hall as a federal courthouse is almost under way.

In their Tuesday meeting, Natchez aldermen voted to accept a $856,000 bid from Wilmar Construction of Vidalia for the first phase of renovation of Memorial Hall as a federal courthouse.

Other bids included $1.12 million from Edgin Construction and $1,027,000 from Arkel of Baton Rouge.

About $150,000 left over from funds available for the first phase will be designated for Phase 2, which will be handled by the General Services Administration. That transfer for funds will done by change order at a later date, said City Engineer David Gardner.

The board voted 4-2 to allow Mayor F.L. &uot;Hank&uot; Smith to negotiate to hire a construction manager to inspect and schedule construction of the city’s phase of the project.

Aldermen also voted to issue a final payment of $11,200, including a $1,200 change order, to Specialty Abatement for removal of asbestos at Memorial Hall, which has been completed.

In other business, the board voted to accept the low bid of 1 percent by United Mississippi Bank for the borrowing, against expected tax revenues, of up to $500,000 to offset increasing insurance costs.

That is a line of credit, and the city may not need to borrow the full amount, Smith emphasized. The note is to be repaid by March 15.

The board voted to accept a $16,940 bid &045; the only bid received &045; from Ransom Construction for masonry repair at the Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center. The board made its vote pending a check to see whether enough money is left over from a state Department of Archives and History grant for repairs to the building.

It also accepted the low bid of Randy Watkins for the leasing of 50 golf carts at $2,737.50 per month plus a range cart at no extra charge.