NATCHEZ — Natchez is inundated with projects.

City Engineer David Gardner said the second half of the North Natchez drainage project is nearly ready to begin.

The first half reconstrcuted storm drains and pipes on Canal Street and he said the second half moves north toward Buckners Alley to make improvements in storm drainage.

Gardner said 95 percent of the plans for this second installment are complete and are in review by the Corps of Engineers.

However, he said 35 tracts of land need to be acquired for storm drain easements.

In order to acquire this land — whether through purchase or, even better, donation — a real estate official will need to assist.

“We’re dealing with federal funds and federal acquisition laws,” he said.

And to make sure it’s all done properly, Gardner said he will need help.

The one setback is Gardner said the budget is extremely tight and at this point, he doesn’t know how much it will cost to get hired help.

“The only monies I have to pay for (the) services are coming out of MDOT money,” he said of the grant that matches the federal funds.

He stressed hiring someone with real estate is something that needs to be done swiftly in order to move forward with this project.

Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis made a motion to allow Gardner to actively search for an official and to report back a cost to the board.

The board approved the motion unanimously.

The Marblestone Road project has been granted $35,000 to fill in a caving slope with white rock to stabilize it.

Finally, Gardner reiterated that the overlay of Homochitto, Martin Luther King Jr., St. Catherine and Franklin streets will begin Sept. 1.

The board passed a motion to enter into a contract with Blain Companies, the only contractor who bid on the project.

Alderman Ricky Gray asked Gardner how the city is planning on paying the project supervisor who will watch closely over the overlay.

He asked why the project can’t be supervised by the public works department, which would be free.

Gardner said it has to do with all the aforementioned projects — the public works department is extremely busy.

He went on to explain that because the city had $1.3 million for the project, and Blain bid under that at $1,298,208.60, the remainder of that money would go toward paying the supervisor.

“We have money in the bond issue to pay for this,” Gardner said. “We’re going to make this work.

In other business:

4Scott Phillips, CEO of Natchez Regional Medical Center, came before the board to explain the situation of the hospital, its recent study and the decision to sell.

4 Recreation Director Ralph Tedder asked the city to renew its lease with Covington Road Church and its ball field that is used as the 13 to 14-year-old Dixie Boys youth baseball team.

It’s a three-year renewable lease that the city pays $1 to annually.

The board unanimously passed a motion to renew the lease.

4City Planner John “Rusty” Lewis, representing the planning commission, requested that a public hearing be set for Sept. 9 to discuss the rezoning of 102 Melrose Ave., adjacent to Monmouth.

The request is to move that parcel into Monmouth’s parcel — out of the residential zone — so it can be used as a spa.

The board approved the hearing date.