By Cain Madden

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — After being held up for months, the Natchez aldermen and Adams County supervisors met in a joint meeting on Monday to “jump start” the Natchez pool project.

Several members of the community development board created to help oversee funds donated through a lease between Magnolia Bluffs Casino and the City of Natchez were present at the meeting.

Two of those members, Phillip West and David Paradise, told aldermen and supervisors they wondered what was taking so long.

“The City of Natchez has been waiting for a year,” Paradise said. “It’s time to get moving.”

West said he knows that the city is trying to work with the YMCA for management, but he also believed that it was time to move forward, whether the YMCA would be involved or not.

Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission chair Tate Hobdy emphasized that the YMCA was not the hold up, but rather, it was paperwork.

“It got held up with the school board — the school board did not deliver it back to the supervisors,” Hobdy said of the interlocal agreement that was to be signed by the county, city and school board. “When we did get it, it had notations on it. So we went and got all boards to sign it again and sent it off to the attorney general.”

The paperwork was sent to the state attorney general approximately two weeks ago, Hobdy said. Once that paperwork comes back, Hobdy said recreation commissioners could get started toward making further plans and finishing up the contracts.

“There’s always something that pops up, but I don’t foresee any more holdups,” he said.

Three representatives from the metropolitan YMCAs of Mississippi were present, including President and CEO David L. Reeves. He said dealing with municipalities, often the politics involved makes projects of this nature come up with a build first and think later approach. Reeves didn’t want to see that in Natchez.

“Let’s do this right the first time,” he said. “It’s fine to have an eight-lane, junior Olympic pool that’s open year round, if that’s what you want, but you have to think about who you are going to serve.”

Reeves said if the city is going to host 3 year olds, then where would the shallow end be since pools meant for swim teams have to be fairly deep on both ends? Is the proposed pool for a swim team, senior citizens or families of the community? How much does the city want to pay?

After hearing from many on both boards, Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said communication has been lacking on this project, and that she and many others wanted to see this project move forward.

Hobdy said he would come back to both boards in 30 days. In that time, he feels like the agreement will be back from the attorney general, and that he can put together a group from all the parties involved.

Hobdy said he felt it was reasonable to have the vision of what community development wants and the contract with the YMCA completed by then.

“We may not have the renderings by then, but we will try to,” he said. “We will know what direction we are going in by then.”

Both the city and county representatives approved a resolution to form a committee on the pool and to have it report by March 8.

Hobdy said until the drawings are complete, it would be hard to say what the final cost would be. The goal is to keep it within a $1 million budget. The pool — along with soccer fields — will be located behind Natchez High School, where the soccer team currently practices.