Work to begin soon to build Duncan Park recreational trail

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Work is scheduled to begin in February to give Duncan Park a new recreational  bike trail after city aldermen Tuesday approved a $110,000 bid by a Natchez contractor for the project.

The money is from a federal grant program and donations by a private community group.

 
The schedule has the trail finished this summer, said Natchez Recreation Director Ryan Porter. The nearly two-mile pathway will meander through woodlands surrounding Duncan Park to accommodate wilderness bikers, hikers, trail runners, bird watchers and others who enjoy nature, he said.

It’ll be west of the park’s old, abandoned swimming pool near the antebellum mansion Auburn. Duncan Park is the city’s main recreational venue with its golf course, tennis courts, ballfields, playgrounds and picnic areas.

The trail is being funded mostly by a grant Natchez received in 2024 from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. It gave the city $96,000 from funds states get from the federal Recreational Trails Program. The Natchez-Adams County Community Alliance donated money to fulfill a 20 percent local matching fund requirement to receive the grant.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen on Tuesday selected Hope Enterprises to build the trail. The contractor submitted the lowest bid of about $110,000 for the work that two other companies also competed for. The construction work is scheduled to start around Feb. 15 and take four months to complete, Porter said

Comments

Leave a Reply