Natchez &8212; The Natchez Community Alliance will seek nonprofit status in coming weeks, giving the organization independence and a better platform for raising funds for its projects.

&8220;Many projects that we are involved in require funding,&8221; Matilda Stephens, president, said at the Wednesday meeting. &8220;I think it is critical that the Community Alliance seek 501(c)3 nonprofit status.&8221;

The nonprofit status would boost two major projects now under way by Alliance committees &8212; a plan to create trails marked with historic information in downtown Natchez and a restoration project at Memorial Park to repair the veterans memorial.

Mimi Miller, Historic Natchez Foundation director of preservation and education, said the nonprofit status &8220;gives the organization validity. When you become a 501(c)3, you have to adopt bylaws; you become more credible as an organization.&8221;

She and others who represent 501(c)3 agencies will assist Stephens in the application as well as in editing bylaws written for a similar Vicksburg organization.

The Alliance, founded as a Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce committee, is made up of representatives from key Natchez agencies and organizations as well as heads of several city departments. It was formed to &8220;unite our community and foster a positive, diverse economic environment to enhance business development, recruitment and retention,&8221; according to its mission statement.

At the Wednesday meeting, the Alliance also adopted a detailed plan presented by Mark LaFrancis to repair and enhance the veterans memorial in Memorial Park.

Marble tiles have fallen away from the base of the memorial, many broken or chipped. Ralph Tedder, recreation director for the city, said improper sealant and exposure to weather contributed to the damage.

&8220;The memorial was supposed to be resealed every two years,&8221; Tedder said. &8220;That wasn&8217;t done.&8221;

LaFrancis said the restoration project is estimated to cost $20,000 to $24,000, with repair to come in three phases. Replacement of tiles and resealing the entire monument should be complete by Jan. 10, he said.

The second phase will enhance the setting, including seating and landscaping as well as lighting. &8220;Illumination also provides an element of security,&8221; he said.

The third phase of the restoration will be a revival of the Buy-a-Brick campaign, a project that helped to pay for the building of the monument but which has been mostly dormant in recent years. &8220;This phase would begin on or before March 1,&8221; he said.

Fund raising will include many efforts among individuals, businesses and organizations, he said.

&8220;We&8217;re recommending the Community Alliance dedicate the Veterans Memorial Renewal Project as a salute to the patriots in the 155th,&8221; he said. That Natchez unit is expected to return from Iraq in January and will be honored with festivities on Jan. 21.

Anyone wanting to donate to the memorial repairs should call Ralph Tedder at 601-445-4927.