This is the second of six stories focusing on the First Impressions report done by Mississippi State University.

NATCHEZ — Every morning for the past 16 years, Flavius Freeman has gotten out of bed and gone for his walk down Melrose-Montebello Parkway.

And every morning Freeman takes along several plastic grocery bags to carry the trash he encounters along the way.

For 16 years, Freeman has been beautifying Natchez.

He was inspired by another resident who promoted the idea years ago.

Click here for Part One: Natchez’s first impression

Click here for a pdf of the Natchez First Impressions report produced by Mississippi State University.

“I got started; I’m still kicking, and I still do it,” Freeman said.

An easily formed habit, picking up trash has become such an instrumental part of Freeman’s daily routine he can’t do without doing it.

Some days, however, inclement weather prevents him from taking his walks.

“If I don’t get out there and do it, and I ride through, I’m just ashamed of myself for not picking it up,” he said.

Whether it’s one bagful or three, Freeman said it makes a difference.

“It sure makes the environment look a lot better when we pick up that trash,” he said.

Freeman’s road, complete with trees and a large median, is easily considered one of the prettiest drives into downtown.

But not every street into Natchez carries the same view. Members of the Mississippi State University First Impressions team pointed to appearance at the entryways as a major concern.

From a concrete ocean on John R. Junkin Drive coming from Louisiana to dilapidated housing and trash on St. Catherine Street, many locals agree the community must work on its very first impression.

“Concrete does not attract tourists and does not make a lasting impression,” Preservation Commission Chairwoman Marty Seibert said.

But a little landscaping would go a long way, she said.

“There’s so much concrete at the intersection of Canal (Street) and John R. Junkin (Drive) that the possibility of seasonal color would be very attractive,” Seibert said.

The Grand Soleil Casino Resort is the first business drivers from Louisiana will see, and the casino wants to do its part to make Natchez welcoming, Marketing Director Baxter Lee said.

The bluff, which is currently covered with a massive spray of kudzu, will be dramatically changed in time, he said.

“They’re going to put a small retaining wall at the bottom and re-engineer the drainage of the hill and then it will be seeded with grass,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot nicer.”

Lee said what is good for the hotel is ultimately good for Natchez, as well.

“It’s important to us that the first impression of people coming across the bridge is that it’s a landscaped property, and it’s pleasing to the eye.”

The hill below the Grand Soleil is already home to a beautification effort by one local civic group. In 2005, the Natchez Rotary Club funded the placement of a specially designed welcome sign at that site and two others.

Nancy Hungerford, the 2005 club president, and the Rotary Club members wanted to give visitors a warm welcome, she said.

“We knew of the city’s need to put these up and we felt it was the right thing to do,” she said.

Acts like those by the Rotary Club and Freeman are exactly what it’s going to take to change the overall appearance of Natchez, Mayor Jake Middleton said.

Middleton said he hopes to begin a campaign soon that would include contact with local business owners and residents, asking them to do their part to improve the appearance of their property.

And Freeman knows if every person in the city took a page out of his book, the city would look a lot better. He said it’s important to a city’s residents and tourists that its appearance is kept up.

“We all feel bad when we see a beautiful roadway with a lot of litter on it and its surroundings,” Freeman said.