NATCHEZ &8212; For David Gardner, city engineer and waterworks superintendent, 2006 is building up to be a productive year.

That&8217;s because, when he looks through files of ongoing construction projects, he sees several that should be completed before New Year&8217;s rolls around again.

The first to come to fruition will probably be road widening, drainage improvements and sidewalk installation on Minor Street and adjacent streets.

&8220;We&8217;re already 60 percent through with that project and hope to complete it by early summer,&8221; Gardner said.

Major erosion control projects behind Susie B. West Apartments, near John R. Junkin Drive and along St. Catherine Creek near the Natchez Trace are also set to be finished sometime this year.

&8220;Exactly when will depend on when we get funding&8221; from the U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service, Gardner said. &8220;Hurricane Katrina has put a big question mark on a lot of our funding.&8221;

That&8217;s also true of planned improvements to a canal and system of ditches that drain much of north and downtown Natchez. &8220;But we hope to get started on that this year, too,&8221; Gardner said.

Meanwhile, crews hired by the U.S. General Services Administration continue to work on the renovation of Memorial Hall as a federal courthouse.

&8220;And if that project isn&8217;t finished by the end of December, it shouldn&8217;t be far from it,&8221; Gardner said.

Other items on Gardner&8217;s wish list for this year include landing a hotel adjacent to the convention center, seeing construction start on the Worley-Brown condo complex and getting the remaining funding for a system of bluffside and downtown walking trails.