NATCHEZ &8212; Three concerned citizens in separate appeals asked Natchez aldermen to take long-range views of developing city-owned property at the base of Roth Hill.

Casey Hughes, Gwen Ball and Neil Varnell spoke to Mayor Phillip West and the aldermen at the Tuesday meeting, each one asking the board to consider the best use of the land for the overall development and future of the city.

The riverfront property, directly below the bluff park running along Broadway Street, has been the subject of numerous ideas for development but has drawn few serious inquiries, West said in response to the pleas by the three speakers.

&8220;Then in recent months, we&8217;ve had maybe up to four proposals,&8221; he said.

Alderman Jake Middleton said in recent years, the board &8220;has been through this 10 or 11 times, but it&8217;s only people showing interest&8221; but who do not follow through.

Hughes urged aldermen &8220;to involve the citizens of Natchez&8221; when considering development of city property.

&8220;You are elected to be our leaders and not our dictators.&8221; She asked aldermen to proceed carefully &8220;before you allow a casino to be located in downtown Natchez,&8221; saying that would be &8220;tragic.&8221;

Hughes asked aldermen to have a public hearing on any plans to approve use of the riverfront property and to &8220;pursue a project that can bring us together, that we all can work on.&8221;

Ball expressed some of the same concerns but targeted casinos as detrimental to the city&8217;s welfare. &8220;I&8217;m not trying to stand in the way of progress or development,&8221; she said. &8220;Casinos have negative consequences.&8221;

Ball cited statistics from a 1999 study authorized by the U.S. Congress that showed communities pay a high social cost for limited economic impact of casinos.

Ball asked aldermen to state their long-term social and economic vision for Natchez.

Middleton said aldermen work toward a vision of a successful city, where the population has all the proper protection &8212; &8220;all the things we try to make happen with limited funds.&8221;

&8220;We&8217;ve lost three major employers, leaving about three thousand people without jobs recently,&8221; Middleton said. &8220;We&8217;re trying to create jobs, along with the (Adams County) board of supervisors. Our economic development authority has worked very hard to take Natchez to some industrial prospects.&8221;

As for casinos, Middleton said he doubted Natchez ever would have more than two, maybe not more than one.

Varnell asked aldermen to consider developing an entertainment district. &8220;It should not be downtown where it interferes with stores, hotels, B&B&8217;s and residences, but in a separate area.&8221;

Instead of another riverboat casino at Roth Hill riverfront property, why not an entertainment center, he asked.

&8220;Cultivate the riverfront as a place of public entertaining for eating and drinking, relaxing and having fun,&8221; he said.

Varnell asked the city board to remember, &8220;The riverfront, both on the bluff and on the river bank, is our front door and our picture window.&8221;

Varnell offered to arrange a study session to instruct aldermen on riverfront guidelines adopted by the city in the early 1990s.