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Work crews remove debris Tuesday afternoon from where the old clubhouse at Duncan Park was demolished. (Nicole Hester / The Natchez Democrat)

Work crews remove debris Tuesday afternoon from where the old clubhouse at Duncan Park was demolished. (Nicole Hester / The Natchez Democrat)

Work crews remove debris Tuesday afternoon from where the old clubhouse at Duncan Park was demolished. (Nicole Hester / The Natchez Democrat)

(Nicole Hester / The Natchez Democrat)

Work crews remove debris Tuesday afternoon from where the old clubhouse at Duncan Park was demolished. (Nicole Hester / The Natchez Democrat)

NATCHEZ — The City of Natchez demolished an old clubhouse building on the grounds of Duncan Park earlier this week.

Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell said the city demolished the structure because it had fallen into disrepair.

“I had received word that people were living in that building, smoking dope, and it is right there next to that playground where those kids are,” Grennell said of the decision to remove the building. “The building had a hole in it that a car could fit in, so it was terribly dilapidated. Not only that but the building was a safety factor.

If a kid went in that building playing hide-and-seek or anything like that they could have gotten hurt.”

In 2017, members of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity had approached the Natchez Mayor and Board of Aldermen expressing interest in renovating the building and acquiring a 50-year lease to use the building as a community center to host community activities.

Grennell said members of the fraternity later told him they were no longer interested in the space.

“When they conveyed to me they were no longer interested in it,” Grennell said, “I told Jody (Rutter, Natchez building inspector) to, ‘get a price and let’s take it down.’ I told Jody, ‘I want it cleared to the ground, and let’s create a green space.’”

Grennell said the decision was a matter of safety.

“Safety was a major factor,” Grennell said, “especially for those children that are in that playground.”

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