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NATCHEZ — The Natchez Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday morning to file a lawsuit against general contractor Theobald Construction over its work on the paving project on Canal and Homochitto streets.

After a number of issues were found in the work, which halted the project in late December, and after negotiations with the contractor and other companies involved, the city thought it was on track to have the project resumed in late April. However, that did not happen.

The $1.1 million paving project began in approximately October 2024 with the paving of Canal Street. The Homochitto Street portion of the project began in December. It was halted in late December when it was discovered that the asphalt placed on the roadway was improperly mixed and not adhering as it should.

At approximately the same time, deficiencies were discovered in the work of Theobald and its subcontractor, Central Asphalt, on Canal Street.

The city hired Volkert Engineering to inspect the Canal Street paving work. Volkert came back with an 11-page listing of deficiencies and corrections that needed to be made on that project.

“We are at an impasse on repairs on Homochitto and Canal Street. We have gone back and forth with the contractor,” said Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson. “We reported just two months ago that we were very grateful that this matter had been resolved and that soon all of our requested repairs and changes would be made.”

However, that agreement has since fallen apart, Gibson said.

“We have worked in good faith with our contractor to get this project done,” he said. “These streets are very important…It’s not often that the city gets to spend a million dollars on a street project. We want to make sure it is done correctly and that it will last not just a couple of years.”

Gibson handed out copies of the report from Volkert Engineering listing deficiencies in the project, which he said Volkert updated in March and that report is also available to the public.

“I want our citizens to know we take this very seriously and will make sure they get the work we pay for,” he said. “Anything that was done incorrectly has to be done correctly at no expense to our taxpayers.

“That is why there is a performance bond. It protects the city in projects like these,” Gibson said. “Not only do we have the performance bond, but we have a lot of documentation done by our engineers, and there is no question that the deficiencies identified are indeed deficiencies.”