City Hall’s Ups and Downs of 2021

NATCHEZ, Miss. – In looking back on 2021, the mayor and aldermen point to much that’s taken place in city government.

“It has been an historic year,” said Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson, who completed his first 12 months in office July 2021.

“I’ve never seen so many things happen in one year,” said Alderman Sarah Carter Smith, a nine-year member of the city board.

While in the midst of a “perfect storm” brought on by the COVID pandemic, Natchez was able to see more positive developments than negative in 2021, Smith said.

The highs include city officials accommodating the influx of riverboats docking in Natchez, selling the old Margaret Martin school and acquiring the Fry building to help spark a downtown renewal crowned by the planned renovation of the adjacent Eola hotel.

Among 2021’s lows: acrimonious verbal exchanges at meetings of Gibson and aldermen; questionable expenditures at City Hall that prompted the mayor to ask for an investigation; a Natchez resident dying of an apparent heart attack while presenting grievances to the mayor and aldermen at a board meeting.

While Gibson and some board members publicly directed angry words at each other – at levels not seen in recent previous years — Alderman Felicia Irving told her colleagues in December that “nothing is ever personal. It’s business, and I love each and every one of you” as they “agree to disagree.”

A look back at 2021:

The COVID-19 pandemic continued its ups and down in 2021. The numbers of new cases waned in the early months of the year as vaccinations were first being rolled out, but Natchez-Adams County surged last August with 202 newly diagnosed cases within a week, according to the Mississippi Department of Health.

After several subsequent weeks of COVID on the decline – with just nine new cases in the last week of November – the numbers are spiking back up again. At least 90 people in Natchez-Adams County have tested positive since Sunday, according to the Department of Health’s latest posted report about the contagion.

At least 125 Adams County residents have died from the respiratory disease since March 2020. Among them is Adams County Tax Collector Rose Patterson, who died in January 2021. The most recent reported COVID-related death in Adams County occurred in November, according to the state Department of Health.

The U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention says Natchez-Adams County’s transmission rate is now “high” – the most severe level — as more residents have gotten infected this month by the virus.

The CDC says everyone in Adams County should wear a mask in public indoor settings regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated. About 45 percent of Adams County’s population is fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health.

A countywide mask mandate had been in effect until May 2021 with penalties for violators. While Adams County supervisors rescinded the order, they did in August adopt a face-covering directive with no penalties.

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As the city’s economy rebounded and new businesses opened despite the pandemic, Natchez sales tax revenues in 2021 rose above previous years’ collections. For the fiscal year that began in July, sales in Natchez generated $2.4 million through November, according to the state Department of Revenue. That’s about $300,000 more than the $2.1 million collected during the same five-month period in 2020 and the three previous years’ intervals.

“Natchez is booming. … We are now among the fastest growing economies in Mississippi,” Gibson said in August.

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City officials responded to a February ice storm that knocked out power and broke trees throughout Natchez that required a massive clean-up effort. The mayor and board hired companies that specialize in disaster recovery to help with getting federal funds and picking up storm debris.

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The Natchez mayor and board Aldermen began upgrades for city parks by borrowing $2 million, with some of that money to also be used for improving streets.

The city board also joined with the county Board of Supervisors to approve money for heating the Natchez-Adams County swimming pool and other improvements. However, the two boards decided to dissolve their consolidated recreation program they formed in 2015 because it didn’t live up to expectations for jointly enhancing parks and other recreational venues.

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The mayor and aldermen finally approved a long-delayed deal in April to lease the city-owned Broadway Street train depot to movie producer Tate Taylor and John Norris. They envision restoring the century-old building and converting it into an eatery and entertainment venue. However, the development stalled and the planned autumn 2021 opening didn’t take place.

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The city board in October sold the former Margaret Martin school building to the owners of Dunleith, who plan to renovate the historic structure for hotel rooms, musical performances and a luxury spa. It’s been a long-held ambition for many Natchezians to renovate the 94-year-old, deteriorated building on Homochitto Street.

The owners of the adjacent Dunleith estate bought the Margaret Martin property for$105,000. Plans for “complete renovations from the inside out” should begin early 2022, said Dunleith co-owner Mike Blattner.

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City officials in July unveiled plans to demolish the Fry Building and put a downtown Natchez parking garage in its place. Property owner Walter Davis III’s donated the building to the city. A month later, developers announced plans to restore and reopen the adjacent Eola hotel. Work is envisioned to begin in 2022.

Once the city’s largest office building – located on the corner of Pearl and Franklin streets — the 1950s Fry building has deteriorated and been partly vacant for several years. The Eola hotel has been closed since 2014. Plans to refurbish the 1927 landmark have stalled the past couple of years, but efforts were revived by developers that include New Orleans restaurateur Dickie Brennan.

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City officials and cruise-ship executives in May signed agreements for constructing riverboat docks and rebuilding part of Silver Street as Natchez prepares to accommodate more touring passengers.

American Cruise Lines and Viking Cruises are leasing city-owned property on the Mississippi River. The companies at their expense will build separate landings for their riverboats. In addition to revenues generated by the leases, the city is getting $500,000 from ACL and Viking to help build an elevated street where the river frequently floods Natchez Under-the-Hill.

With the inclusion of the American Queen Steamboat Co. — which plans to build a third Silver Street dock – the three cruise lines by autumn 2022 are projected to bring up to 2,000 passengers a week to tour Natchez, according to Gibson. After a year of no river cruises because of the COVID pandemic, ACL and AQSC resumed their Natchez visits in March. Viking plans to inaugurate its Mississippi River cruises in August 2022.

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Gibson in July broke a 3-3 board tie vote to begin the process for selling the old Natchez General Hospital to Ginger Hyland, who lives at The Towers estate adjacent to the deteriorated Oak Street hospital property.

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Natchez resident Lee Nelson died during a June board meeting while presenting grievances about neighborhood blight to the mayor and aldermen. While at the podium displaying photos of his Daisy Street neighborhood, he suddenly crumpled to the floor — bringing the meeting to a halt as emergency responders attempted to revive him. The mayor and board later adopted a posthumous resolution honoring Nelson.

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City Clerk Servia Fortenberry resigned in November and was replaced by Megan McKenzie, who previously served in the post until 2018.

Just a few days after Fortenberry left as the city’s chief financial officer, the mayor reported “a discrepancy” involving “a questionable transfer of city funds into external accounts.”  Gibson said he got Natchez police officers to investigate and turn over findings to state auditors for further review.

While Fortenberry has reportedly said she did nothing wrong, the mayor and auditors have declined to give more details about the red-flagged financial transaction.

There has been a high turnover of city clerks in recent years. Fortenberry was Natchez’ fifth since 2016.  She began the job in 2019.

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The city, county and school boards agreed in December to hire Tuwanna Williams as Natchez-Adams County’s workforce development director, a newly created position to strengthen local efforts to train people and attract more businesses.