Tell me, would you rather have an $8 rebate in your pocket after paying your county taxes or would you rather have the $180,000 surplus that the board of supervisors are so pleased over be used toward a new recreational facility for the Natchez-Adams County community?

I am talking swimming, ball fields, soccer fields, walking trails and improvements to the golf and tennis facilities.

Monday evening I had the opportunity to go to the Natchez City Board of Alderman’s budget meeting. I spoke on behalf of the tennis community in its desire to keep Henry Harris as the Pro at Duncan Park and to talk about the possibility of constructing a Recreational Complex in Natchez-Adams County.

I challenged the mayor about his commitment to recreation, since he ran for the office of mayor on recreation as well as fiscal responsibilities. Then, when he took office he asked each department to reduce their expenditures by 5 percent, including recreation.

He took me to task. When he stated that he has been an advocate for recreation since his initiation to the board of aldermen and as the chair of recreation, I knew I had lighted his fire. I witnessed the passion and the frustration. He was eloquent in his rebuttal to me and passionately talked to us about his plans and requests for additional 2 mil increase from the board of supervisors in order to start planning for a recreational facility, which in turn was rejected by the board of supervisors.

As he stated, “We cannot (the city) do this alone.” No, and the city should not be expected to fund the entire burden for recreation for the city and the county. The supervisors fund only a few outlying parks, but county residents use the recreational facilities within the city of Natchez. I do. And, city residents pay city and county taxes. Shouldn’t that county tax money go to help upkeep of recreational services they enjoy within the city? The city has $1.4 million for recreation in Natchez, the supervisors pay only $50,000. What do you think is fair?

Several years ago I was on the recreational council, headed by Joe Eidt Jr. There was representation from the county, the city and the school board. At the first meeting, several members expressed an interest in having their areas of expertise upgraded by this council. Right away, Joe Eidt said, “We are not here to try to improve the many parks in our district, but to look to the bigger picture.” He said they wanted to create an environment for a recreational facility that would include baseball fields, softball fields, soccer fields, a horse (equine) facility and improvements to golf and tennis at Duncan Park. But No. 1 on the list was to get a natatorium or swimming facility.

We did not expect to do all these things at once. We expected them to be done in increments — one step at a time. We had environmental and engineering studies done by local firms, free of charge. We had plans for the facilities drawn up by companies from Natchez, and surrounding states, free of charge.

But when we were ready to pay for a master plan from the company we chose, the county and the school board turned us down. Only the board of aldermen supported the project. It seems nothing has changed.

I urge the citizens of Natchez and Adams County to rise together and voice your opinions; call, write or e-mail your county supervisor about your concerns for recreation for Natchez and Adams County.

Together our voices will be heard. We cannot just keep putting band-aids on our existing facilities.

Let’s start now. Little by little, let’s move forward. If we do not start now in some small way, it will be the same thing 10 years from now.

“We don’t have the money.”

Did Woodville say that, or did they write grants and get their county governments to work together?

Or did Vidalia write grants and get their parish boards to work together? Are they that much smarter than we are?

Jeanie Peabody

Natchez resident