Of the thousands of visitors to the City of Natchez, more than a few must likely shake their heads at a few city-owned properties that have fallen into disrepair.

Fortunately, two of those facilities — the former tollbooth colonnade adjacent to the Natchez Visitor Reception Center and the former train depot on the bluff — have renovation plans in place.

Some citizens see such projects and lament that it’s a foolish waste of money, but in both cases the city appears to be working hard to locate outside sources of cash.

While we remain skeptical that using the area around the old train depot as a farmer’s market is the best use of the property, at the very least the project will save the building from more damage.

The same can be said for the colonnades, which are effectively crumbling and need help.

Once refurbished, we hope this city will encourage carriage drivers to utilize the circle as a jumping-off point for downtown carriage tours.

Until the rehabilitation work is completed, the eyesores will continue to attract the wrong kind of attention. Fortunately, it appears help is on the way soon.