NATCHEZ — The seats have been vacuumed, the walls wiped down and the floors swept in the Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center auditorium.

All visible traces of the fire extinguisher dust that coated seats in the building’s auditorium after a Youth Build Program students supposedly set a fire extinguisher off are gone.

Youth Build Construction Manager John Evans said he had a professional cleaner come by to look at the auditorium.

And everything the cleaner suggested — wipe seats and walls and run large fans to blow out the dust — was done.

He said he was going to wait a few days for any remaining dust to settle before going back and cleaning again.

But Natchez Festival of Music officials are still adamant in their request to have the program removed from the building that annually houses the festival.

The Youth Build Program is a national program designed to train and educate high school dropouts.

The program only started a few months ago, and it was just recently that Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis suggested it be housed in Margaret Martin.

“It’s really an educational program, and educational programs are better housed in a school facility,” she said. “The facility just lends itself well to the program.”

Festival officials said they were not aware of this decision until the fire extinguisher incident.

Even if the incident had not happened, however, Natchez Festival of Music Secretary and Margaret Martin Chairman Charlotte Copeland said she would still not want the program in the building.

“I don’t understand why they chose to go into that particular building. It’s labeled and designated for the arts,” she said. “Rehabilitating teenagers and anything else is a negative factor in that building.”

Copeland saw the fire extinguisher damage before and after, and she said she appreciates the work the Youth Build students have done to clean up the dust.

“I think they did very well,” she said.

She said she even encourages the program.

“I’m all for this program. It’s excellent,” Copeland said. “We’re not trying to close this down. I think this is very good for the City of Natchez.

“It’s just in the wrong place.”

She said she feels it could be housed elsewhere and this is going to be part of the petition festival officials will be making to the board of aldermen Tuesday.

Alderman Bob Pollard said he plans to bring up the Youth Build situation during the meeting.

“I’m not against the Youth Build Program, but I believe they’re in the wrong location, and we need to find them another building.”

He also said the board never decided to house the program in the building, that it was just Mathis’ decision.

“I don’t think it’s a single alderman’s decision (to make.) This is a board decision to put an organization in a city-owned building,” Pollard said.

Mathis said while no formal action was taken, the board was informed that the program could be housed in Margaret Martin.

Meanwhile, Youth Build Program officials are hoping they can stay in place.

Jones said Margaret Martin is the perfect place for the program, and she does not know where else the program could take place.

She said they just want a second chance. She clarified that the extinguisher incident was not a fight, and they have no idea who the student or students were, but the entire group pitched in to quickly rectify the problem.

Although Mathis said Wednesday that the students involved in the incident were expelled, Jones said that’s not true.

She said it’s impossible because the program officials do not know who was involved, or even if it was a Youth Build student.

Mathis said the whole ordeal has been blown out of proportion.

“I think people are being hysterical,” she said.

Youth Build officials said plans are to keep the students in the basement, and Evans said he is planning to erect a wall to block off the basement from the rest of the building.

The wall would have a door that locks from the inside, so anyone else in the building would be able to come and go as they please.

Copeland said there is no acceptable compromise.

“I think (Mathis) made an extremely poor choice,” she said.