NATCHEZ — It won’t be much longer before the Natchez High School track team will be able to host its first meet in years.

Natchez athletic director Fred Butcher said progress in the construction of a new track around the Bulldogs’ football field is near completion.

“They just finished the spring process yesterday, and it should be dry in a few more days,” Butcher said. “We have to give it about 30 days to cure, then the striping crew can come out.”

Butcher said colder temperatures in January played a part in delaying the finishing touches of the new track.

“This was supposed to be completed some time ago,” Butcher said. “When they planned on putting down the base, it had to be a certain temperature, but it was just too cold out (at the time), so they had to keep waiting.”

For many of the track athletes at Natchez, the new track means competing in front of a home crowd for the first time in their high school careers.

“Coach (Larry) Wesley is pretty excited,” Butcher said. “He’s had some players in the last four to five years that have never had a chance to run at home.”

Plans are already in place for at least two track meets, Butcher said, one of which is already planned for March 13.

“I think this is going to be a big boost for the community. We plan to invite a lot of the surrounding schools in the area to future meets.”

Butcher also said he wanted to thanks school board officials for their hand in making this project happen.

“We want to tip our hat off to the superintendent and school district board members in allowing us to make this proposal and seeing it become a reality,” Butcher said.