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NATCHEZ — The Mayor and Board of Aldermen discussed a scaled-back version of the U.S. Colored Troops Monument at its meeting on Tuesday.

The meeting was held at the Natchez Association for the Preservation of African American Culture Museum on Main Street.

Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson has held the first meeting in June at the museum each year since his administration began. The meeting was a lead-up to the city’s Day of Unity on Monday, which will be held this year at the Jefferson Street Methodist Church. It is also a kickoff to several Juneteenth celebrations planned in the city.

“We want to be a place where harmony and unity exist and we are working every day to make that our story,” Gibson said.

He said for months the monument committee has been working to adapt the desires of the community for the museum into realistic expectations that can be accomplished. Because of a $1 million earmark made available to the project through HUD development funds by U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, the project can get started on its first steps.

“We can spend these funds on infrastructure, but not on the monument itself,” he said.

Gibson unveiled a smaller monument, which is taking the height of each statue from 10 feet tall to 6 feet tall. New plans also include less landscaping and sidewalks. And, the new plan would not include the names of troops until a much later phase in the project.

Robert Pernell, chairman of the monument committee, said his group is working to raise funds in any way it can.

“When we started this, we reached for the stars. Then, reality hit,” Pernell said. “We really want to make sure it’s something we can all be proud of. I think that’s what we have here. We are not done by any means …The committee is still trying to raise funds. We are doing that by selling t-shirts. I would hope that everybody would buy a t-shirt. That is something you can wear proudly.”

Pernell said no one involved with the design process got 100 percent of what they wanted, “but everybody compromised and here we are.”