NATCHEZ &045; It will cost more than $400,000 to repair streets damaged in recent months by gas and/or water line replacement.

That’s what City Engineer David Gardner told Mississippi Valley Gas and Public Service Commission representatives Wednesday in a meeting at City Hall.

Gardner said any filling of trenches dug during the project will be less strong than the original road. &uot;So we’re mainly talking about improving aesthetics,&uot; Gardner said.

But Natchez’s economy depends on tourism, and patchwork streets give a bad impression to tourists, said Alderman David Massey, chairman of the board’s Public Works Committee.

&uot;Every industry has gone, Š and so has our tax base&uot; to pay for street repairs, Massey said. &uot;Tourism is all we have.&uot;

Valley Gas is 90 to 95 percent through with replacement of aging cast iron natural gas lines throughout the city and should be finished by the end of March, said the company’s Andrew Calvit.

Patching of potholes &045; not overlaying of whole sections &045; has weakened streets and made the driving surface rough and unslightly, Gardner said.

&uot;We’re now waiting for Valley Gas to digest this information and say ‘we want to help pay for this,’&uot; Gardner said after the meeting.

After that, Gardner and Calvit would drive the streets to determine which weakened spots were caused by the gas project and which were caused by Natchez Waterworks’ replacement of water lines during the same period.

&uot;Then we’ll be able to say ‘you need to pay this much,’&uot; Gardner said.

If Valley Gas won’t contribute, the city will ask the PSC to force the company to pay, since the agency mandated the company replace its lines in the first place, Gardner said.

He added that the commission is set to discuss the issue in its Feb. 6 meeting.

Valley Gas representatives, while making no commitment to fund the repairs, said they are committed to providing quality service to Natchez. They pointed out that the line replacement is $5 million investment in the area’s long-term development.