NATCHEZ — At least a few business owners view a proposal to plant crape myrtles downtown as a bit of a sticky situation, literally.

But the sap produced by the trees was only one concern voiced at a public meeting about the trees Thursday night.

Others say the benefits outweigh the setbacks. For example, City Planner Bob Nix pointed out that more trees means more shade, which makes walking the streets in the heat more bearable.

Because of that, he said, it’s more likely that people will shop longer.

The Community Alliance wants to lead the tree-planting project, but it has asked the public for feedback on the type of tree to be planted.

Nix said no matter the species of trees planted, there would be care taken to prevent signs from being covered by branches and leaves.

Though some business owners disagreed with having trees of any sort in front of their stores, especially if they’ve planted flowers, Community Alliance Chairman John Holyoak said the plan is to start with empty spaces first, and work back toward the more difficult ones. Regardless, he said, nothing is going to be forced upon owners.

Harvey Cotten, vice president and chief horticulturist for Botanical Gardens in Huntsville, Ala., attended the work session, and he pointed out that planting trees goes beyond beautifying the streets.

“There’s an environmental benefit from the shading effect, so it’s energy efficient,” he said.

In addition to that, Cotten said, trees improve the quality of air by filtering out pollutants and they aid with storm water runoff by absorbing pollutants that would otherwise go into the ground water system.

Holyoak stressed that the city itself is not involved with the project to plant trees downtown. The Keep Natchez/Adams County Beautiful organization is behind the idea, Holyoak said and the Community Alliance is the forum for their work.

Talk regarding the trees is still ongoing, and no decisions have been reached yet.

Before planting trees can begin, the wells — or the spaces where they sit — have to be enhanced, City Engineer David Gardner said. The tree well enhancement project is estimated to cost $20,000, and the Community Alliance is accepting donations.

Donations should be sent to P.O. Box 18231 (zip code 39122), and checks should be made out to Natchez-Adams County Community Alliance.