NATCHEZ — Despite a recent report by a national news network, the City of Natchez has not requested $600 million from the proposed national stimulus package for a project.

Alderman Mark Fortenbery said he was watching FOX News on Wednesday night when a report came on about the national stimulus package and individual requests that have been made.

“They were talking about some of the crazy things people were asking for,” he said.

That’s when the report stated Natchez wanted $600 million for the Heritage Trails Project.

“I do not know who did that or where it came from,” Fortenbery said.

City Engineer David Gardner said he has heard about the report, and it is false.

The heritage trail would connect the system of downtown walking trails — the Natchez Trails Project — to the Natchez Trace by way of historic St. Catherine Street.

Gardner said it would be between one and two miles long and would cost approximately $3.1 million.

He said having the false report broadcast nationally is hurtful to the city.

“It’s unfortunate it is being broadcast on FOX, because the city is going to have to do some damage control,” Gardner said. “We don’t want the heritage trails to be labeled as some pork (barrel project.)”

He said when it comes to actually requesting funds for the project, the report could be a hindrance.

City Grants Coordinator Brett Brinegar said it makes Natchez look foolish.

“It’s very embarrassing,” she said.

The Web site stimuluswatch.org posts a compilation of states’ requests and the individual requests per city.

The purpose of the Web site, it states, is to allow its visitors to browse through the requests and vote on whether the requests are viable, critical or necessary.

It claims to be a watchdog of federal dollars.

The Web site states its postings are drawn from a report published by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which has posted all municipality stimulus package requests.

When the U.S. Conference of Mayor Conference report was originally published in December, Natchez was not listed as requesting $600 million for the project.

However, a January publication did list the $600 million.

All municipalities were asked by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to create a “wish list” in December, Brinegar said.

Brinegar was the final set of city hands to touch the list before it was sent, and she said no request of that magnitude had been made.

She said she asked for less than $1 million for the project.

“We did not ask for $600 million. That’s ridiculous,” she said. “It’s very harmful.”

Mayor Jake Middleton said he had not heard about the false report.

“Six hundred million? That could build a highway across the South,” Middleton said. “I don’t even know where that figure came from.

“That’s crazy. Who in their right mind would ask for $600 million?”