NATCHEZ — Delays in the donation of the Natchez Visitor and Reception Center and surrounding land to the National Park Service raised concerns among officials regarding whether the park service would accept the donation.

During Tuesday’s finance meeting with the Natchez Board of Aldermen, Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Bond said NPS still hasn’t received all of the necessary documents to proceed with accepting ownership of the visitor center, months after the Senate Bill 2275 had been approved — which allowed the donation of land to take place.

A letter from the National Park Service southwest regional office stated the bill received approval from Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant last April and included a list of federal regulations that the city had to meet to convey the property over to the National Park Service.

The letter listed documents required for the transfer, including any existing land and environmental surveys of the property, deeds and titles, lease agreements with the center’s current occupants, legal descriptions or construction plans for existing buildings on the property, real estate appraisals and a description of any personal property being transferred.

During Tuesday’s Finance meeting, Bond asked the Natchez Board of Aldermen when those documents could be received, and said NPS could potentially reject the donation if the process is delayed any longer.

“There is some urgency,” Bond said. “As time goes on (NPS) creates more and more national parks, like the new Medgar and Myrlie Evers House (in Jackson). And those parks aren’t coming with funding. We have a brand new regional director who is saying, ‘I need to pay for these new parks and tell me again why we are taking on that visitor center in Natchez that is going to cost a million dollars in deferred maintenance?’ There is some concern that delays in the process could mean (the donation) may not happen.”

Aldermen Dan Dillard and Joyce Arceneaux Mathis both expressed concerns about the report and expressed the urgency of getting the park service all of the information that has been requested.

“We all know that federal funds can evaporate overnight and the longer we wait, the greater the chance this isn’t going to happen,” Dillard said.

After the meeting, Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell said the city is still committed to donating the visitor’s center to NPS.

However, Grennell said the board had to renegotiate the boundary of what land was being donated, causing a delay in the process.

“We had to provide maps to the National Park Service to define what property was being donated,” Grennell said. “When we first presented the map, they asked if we could expand our lines to take in all of the parking lot and part of the bluff. … We have been steadily working with the park service to make sure that this property gets turned over, so any perception of us dragging our feet is just not true.”

Grennell said any changes in the amount of land being donated had to be approved by the board of aldermen before they could submit a map to NPS.

Grennell said a new map had been approved during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting.

“I anticipate we’ll have all of the necessary documents submitted by the end of the week,” Grennell said. “The map is ready and approved during our last board meeting and the board authorized (City Attorney Bob Latham) to gather all the other items requested.”

Bond said once started, the entire land transaction could take 13 to 16 months to be completed from the time NPS has all of the necessary documents in hand because they would have to conduct land surveys and environmental assessments at the site.

“The quicker the city gets everything together, the quicker the park service can move forward,” Bond said. “Our concern is over the delay. … We’ve received some deeds and title documents, but not all of them. … I believe we’ve received what Latham has located. … Once we have the rest, we can move forward.”