National Park Officials joined city officials in touring the Natchez Visitor Reception Center Wednesday looking for causes of recent problems.

The center, which also houses Natchez National Historical Park offices, has reportedly had problems with mildew, mold or bacteria recently, resulting in the center’s bookstore closing in December.

NPS officials from Washington, D.C., and the regional office in Atlanta examined the building for leaks and other potential problems, Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Jenkins said.

One of the NPS was a facility specialist, and three were public health officials, she said.

“We talked about general environmental health and what possible hazards may be mostly related to moisture,” Jenkins said.

“We talked about steps to move forward to make sure it’s a safe place to work. A lot of those steps have already been taken in terms of leaks.”

One of the suggestions was to further examine the heating and cooling systems, which have leaked water in the past, she said.

The center will replace drywalls where moisture has crept in, including in the bookstore, which has already had its carpet replaced with tile.

Jenkins refused to comment in detail about the findings or what the next steps would be until she had consulted with city government, she said.

“I need to be able to talk with the city before I say which steps in what order,” she said.

The visitors center had environmental tests done in December after the bookstore closed, but results were mixed.

A summary of the results indicated that air samples taken in hallways and in the bookstore storage area didn’t show high levels of microbial levels.

However, a number of the swab samples taken from surfaces in the bookstore, air system and NPS offices showed high levels of bacteria, fungi and yeast.