VIDALIA — The Miss-Lou Relay for Life may soon have a permanent home.

Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said this week the city is working to develop a property so the Relay can have a designated space in Vidalia every year.

The grounds in question are located across the parking lot from Concordia Recreation District No. 3’s complex behind Walmart, placing the site near the Vidalia police and fire departments.

Relay for Life co-chair Janis Holder said the city told organizers they had the venue already in mind for them when the Relay had to abdicate its chosen place on the Vidalia Riverfront. The city has leased the location Relay has been using for the development for a hotel property.

“I think (the city’s) thinking is they will make this more or less a permanent spot, but it wouldn’t be just for us, it would be for the flea markets and the other kinds of things they have had at the riverfront,” Holder said.

When the property is not in use by the Relay, the property will have some kind of recreational use, Copeland said.

Al Lanehart, who helps organize logistics for Relay, said he understands the city had the site laid out by an engineering company, and it is intentionally larger than the cancer-fighting fundraiser needs.

“They have expanded this one, even making it a little larger than what we had, but this is in the hopes that we will increase in size over the years,” he said.

Vidalia Recreation Director Johnny Hoffpauer said he didn’t know the full plans for the site, but it will have electrical and water hookups and will be part of the grounds he maintains throughout the year.

Holder said she hated that the Relay had to give up the Riverfront because it was a unique location, but the City of Vidalia has bent over backwards to accommodate the group.

Copeland said weather had delayed some of the site work and it might not be complete in time for this year’s Relay event, but if that is the case, the city has an alternate site for this year.