NATCHEZ — This morning the City of Natchez invites entrepreneurs, developers and anyone remotely interested in the old Broadway Street train depot to come tour the building and imagine the future for the Natchez landmark.

As part of the city’s request for proposals to renovate and lease the depot, the city is hosting a pre-proposal conference at 10:30 a.m. inside the depot at 200 N. Broadway St., depot committee chairman Chesney Doyle said.

The conference and walk-thru was originally part of a request for proposals that was issued in December, but the request was withdrawn by the Natchez Board of Aldermen in its Jan. 22 meeting in an effort to better market the project to prospective developers.

The 2,250 square-foot building is part of the city’s master plan for revitalizing the downtown area by creating an entertainment district along the bluff and a historic/entertainment district at St. Catherine Street.

“Timing is everything,” Doyle said. “Because of the holidays, not much attention was given to the RFP.”

Doyle said the holidays and the recent auction of Bowie’s Tavern, also on Broadway Street, had diverted attention away from the RFP process.

“After the holidays, the city and the depot committee had not gotten the word out sufficiently,” Doyle said. “The city decided to withdraw the proposal, wait for the Bowie’s auction to play itself out and then reissue the RFP two or three weeks after that.”

Even though a new RFP has yet to be issued, Doyle said the city and the depot committee decided to keep the pre-proposal conference as it was originally scheduled. The conference will give prospective proposers a chance to see the building and ask questions, Doyle said.

“It is a great opportunity for anyone who is interested, who thinks they might be interested or knows someone who thinks they might be interested,” Doyle said.

Present at today’s conference will a representative from Mississippi Department of Archives and History, City Attorney Bob Latham, Community Development Director James Johnston and members of the depot committee.

Members of the depot committee include Mayor Darryl Grennell, alderman and properties committee chairman Dan Dillard, Latham and Doyle, who is president of FOR Natchez, a nonprofit group that helped lead the development of the city’s master plan.

Doyle said the conference will include a brief slide show presentation followed by a question-and-answer period.

After the conference, Doyle said she expects the city will reissue the RFP in approximately three weeks with some changes recommended by the depot committee.

Doyle said she hopes to see a good crowd of people interested in the project at the depot this morning.

“We hope many people will show up, take pictures and make comments,” Doyle said. “Anyone is invited. The more people learn about the project, the better.”