NATCHEZ &045;&045; By Mimi Miller’s own admission, probably $2 million worth of renovations could be done to the more than 100-year-old school building that houses the Historic Natchez Foundation.

But for now, $500,000 will do to improve a storage area for historical documents, some dating back to the 1700s; repair the storm-damaged back wall; and provide better access to the records, both through an elevator and a side entrance, for disabled people. &uot;And it will mean us not having to carry those records up and down stairs any more,&uot; Miller said.

Those renovations &045;&045; done with a $160,000 state Archives and History grant matched with about $340,000 in foundation funds &045;&045; should be complete by Jan. 31, said Miller, the foundation’s director of preservation and education. Most of the major construction tasks, such as paving the basement’s dirt floor, improving the parking lot and installing an elevator are complete. Tasks left to do include installing drains on the side of the building and installing water lines.

But the foundation is already looking toward future renovations. The $500,000 now being spent includes enough funds for Waggonner & Ball Architects of New Orleans to finish a plan for renovations to the building over the next 25 to 30 years.

While the plan includes the current renovations, it also includes future planned renovations for which construction timelines and funding do not yet exist.

Those include renovating the first floor of the building &045;&045; now offices and meeting space &045;&045; to serve as exhibit space for a Natchez history museum.. Each room would be devoted to a different aspect of the area’s history, such as transportation, education, manufacturing, decorative arts and the like.

The second floor will eventually be used for offices, a conference room and a large meeting room, Ron Miller, the foundation’s executive director, has said.

The basement will be renovated as a modern archival space, complete with climate control and a sprinkler system.