LUY-Development

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  • Natchez downtown developments include new director, restaurants and park

    Natchez downtown developments include new director, restaurants and park

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – Chesney Doyle has met with the Natchez mayor and city aldermen many times in recent years as a leader in the redevelopment of downtown Natchez, but she addressed them Tuesday for the first time as the newly appointed executive director of the Downtown Natchez Alliance.

    Noting she’s “looking forward to working with all of you again,” Doyle said she’s “excited to be here working in an official capacity with the city and the staff and the community at large.”

    She comes “especially well-prepared to lead us into the next chapter,” said  DNA President Elizabeth Greer.

    Doyle led the creation of DNA, which was organized as a spinoff from the 2018 master plan that city officials adopted for revitalizing downtown Natchez. A Natchez native, attorney and documentary producer, she served as DNA board president in its early years.

    Now as executive director, Doyle will manage the day-to-day operations of the the city-subsidized nonprofit association formed to enhance the downtown area by encouraging commercial and cultural developments, the renovation of historic buildings and the beautification of the city’s streetscape.

    She replaces Leah Hunter, who resigned in April after one year as executive director. The Downtown Natchez Alliance since 2022 has endured administrative turnovers with the resignation of four executive directors. After Hunter resigned, Greer said the association “will not miss a beat” as it continues its mission. 

    Greer said yesterday that Natchez is actually “seeing major forward movement in buildings and businesses across downtown.” She recited a list of new developments that include:

    – the Natcheesian pizza parlor and daiquiri bar on Franklin and Commerce streets that had a soft opening Saturday to serve nearly 600 people;

    – a new restaurant set to open nearby at the Center City building on Commerce Street in late fall or early winter; 

    – another restaurant – The District on Main – planning to occupy the building where the Rolling River eatery was on Main Street;

    – the soon-to-open Sugar Emporium on Franklin Street by Steampunk with a soda fountain and ice cream parlor; 

    – a winery and event venue in the old car dealership garage behind Pig Out Inn on Canal Street;

    – the “Kings Tavern Complex” that’s to be refurbished for two tenants.

    A major project the city and DNA are planning is landscaping around the historic Natchez train depot on Broadway Street. With $362,000 in state funds received earlier this year, the grounds and plaza are being enhanced into a park-set setting,The circa 1915 passenger train station reopened in 2024 as a Natchez visitors center with public restrooms and meeting space after a decade-long renovation process costing about $1 million. 

  • Natchez pickleball controversy bounces onto Adams County board

    Natchez pickleball controversy bounces onto Adams County board

    NATCHEZ, Miss. –  Adams County supervisors were undecided Monday on whether to join Natchez officials in building pickleball courts near the city-county swimming pool at Liberty Park.

    The Natchez Board of Aldermen voted last week to pursue this after turning down plans advocated by Mayor Dan Gibson for pickleball courts at Duncan Park.

    Alderman Valencia Hall – the most outspoken opponent of having pickleball at the city-owned Duncan Park – asked the Board of Supervisors to consider helping fund an alternative venue at the county-owned Liberty Park. However, the supervisors were noncommittal.

    County board President Angela Hutchins said the board would discuss it further later. Supervisor Ricky Gray said he wants to hear Natchez pickleballers’ opinions about whether they’d be OK with relocating their play away from Duncan Park, where they currently hold court on a makeshift basis at its tennis center. However, Supervisor Wes Middleton said Duncan Park is the best place for pickleball.

    After heated debate and a public hearing in May, Natchez aldermen voted 4-2 against the popular racket sport being played at Duncan Park’s tennis courts. Hall said the proposed plan to split up three Duncan Park tennis courts into the smaller pickleball courts would be at the expense of tournaments’ need for all existing 10 tennis courts. However, Gibson and others say pickleball’s growing popularity demands having courts dedicated exclusively for it at the city’s main recreational park.

    A possible alternative has emerged with Beau Pre Country Club converting some of its tennis courts for pickleball, but Hall said such a venue should be available for the public and not exclusively for private club members. She said state or federal grants could potentially be available to help build the Natchez-Adams County pickleball venue along with local funds and subsidies from national pickleball associations.

    Middleton expressed annoyance at Hall for asking supervisors to help construct pickleball courts after she and other aldermen declined in the past to help the county fund softball fields or repair tornado sirens located in the city.

  • Supervisors Discuss Next Steps in Search for County Administrator

    Supervisors Discuss Next Steps in Search for County Administrator

    NATCHEZ, Miss. — Adams County Board President Angela Hutchins said the county plans to begin interviewing applicants for the county administrator position before the current administrator leaves next month.

    County Administrator Mitzi Conn, who was hired in April 2025, has submitted her resignation and plans to leave the position on July 8. Hutchins and Conn said Monday morning they were uncertain how many applications have been received for the position, which carries a posted salary of $100,000 per year.

    Conn said her planned departure date comes one week after the start of commercial passenger air service at the Natchez-Adams County Airport. As county administrator and previously as an airport board member, Conn has been involved in efforts related to the return of passenger jet service to the airport.

    United Express is scheduled to begin daily jet service at Hardy-Anders Field on July 1. The service will connect Natchez and Houston through United’s regional partner, SkyWest Airlines.

    Conn was hired as county administrator in 2025 following the resignation of Stephanie Washington. The county administrator oversees day-to-day county operations and budget management under the direction of the five-member Board of Supervisors.

    Conn’s resignation was disclosed in May following a closed session meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

    The Board selected Conn from a pool of approximately 20 applicants.

    Before Conn’s appointment, Board Attorney Scott Slover briefly served as county administrator following Washington’s resignation in March 2025. Prior to that, Adams County Chancery Clerk Brandi Lewis served as interim administrator. Lewis assumed the role after Angie King left the position in January 2022. King had been appointed in 2020 following the retirement of Joe Murray, who served as county administrator for 10 years.

  • Natchez aldermen continue wrestling with place for pickleball

    Natchez aldermen continue wrestling with place for pickleball

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – City aldermen clashed again Tuesday over the pickleball controversy as they voted 4-2 against the popular racket sport being played at Duncan Park’s tennis courts. However, they did agree to pursue a plan for pickleball courts being built near the Natchez-Adams County swimming pool at Liberty Park.

      

    The Board of Aldermen voted to solicit cost proposals for resurfacing courts at the city-owned Duncan Park and North Natchez Park exclusively for tennis. As proposed by Alderman Valencia Hall, they could not be lined for pickleball — as some tennis courts are now at Duncan Park on a makeshift basis.

     

    However, the board voted 4-2 against Alderman Sarah Carter Smith’s motion to let two current Duncan Park tennis courts be divided up solely for pickleball. 

     

    As an alternative, Hall persuaded aldermen to initiate future discussions with Adams County supervisors to jointly build a city-county pickleball facility near the Natchez-Adams County Aquatic Center and soccer fields. They’re at the county-owned Liberty Park.

     

    Tuesday’s action came after aldermen voted 4-2 last month against Mayor Dan Gibson’s plan to convert three Duncan Park tennis courts into 10 pickleball courts. The controversy prompted Gibson to conduct a May 18 public hearing that packed the City Council Chambers and displayed differing, strongly held opinions about whether pickleball should supplant three of the 10 tennis courts at Duncan Park.
     
    Hall has been the most outspoken board member against the Duncan Park pickleball proposition. She says splitting up Duncan Park tennis courts into the smaller pickleball courts would be at the expense of a sport that tennis buffs say needs the existing 10 tennis courts for tournaments.
     
    However, Gibson has said the growing popularity of pickleball justifies the need to develop courts exclusively dedicated to this avocation at the city’s main recreational park. Pickleballers have been using Duncan Park tennis courts marked up and netted on a makeshift basis for their smaller playing space.
     
    The Board of Aldermen in April rejected the pickleball plan that was tied to resurfacing Duncan Park tennis courts at a cost of $31,500 – with half to be funded by private dollars from pickleball players. The proposal also called for resurfacing North Natchez Park’s two tennis courts for $10,600.
     
    Smith, who’s White, expressed frustrations Tuesday that the six-member board was divided along racial lines: four Black aldermen against the pickleball plan and the two White members for.
     
    “This thing somehow has become racial…. I don’t understand why. It’s very sad,” said Smith, implying opposition to the Duncan Park pickleball proposal seems to be because it’s popular with Whites. “It feels racial. It feels that way to a lot of people.”
     
    However, “This is not a racial thing at all,” said Alderman Billie Joe Frazier, who’s Black. He maintained Smith’s comments are “a slap in the face” of the city’s Black community.
     
    Gibson said last week he would continue pursuing a compromise in the tennis-versus-pickleball controversy. “I’m not giving up on a solution that satisfies both sports and further unites Natchez,” the mayor said.
     
    Acknowledging the racial friction at Tuesday’s meeting, Gibson – who’s White — said he and all six aldermen are united in “working together for a better Natchez.”
     
    “We’re all part of the same city and members of the same race – the human race,” he said.  

  • Duncan Park pickleball furor sparks public debate

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – Few issues have drawn such a large crowd to the Natchez Council Chambers like the pickleball-versus-tennis furor last week at a public hearing held by the mayor and city aldermen.

    The hearing was called by Mayor Dan Gibson after aldermen voted 4-2 last month against his endorsed plan to convert three Duncan Park tennis courts into 10 pickleball courts.

    The gathering displayed the differing, strongly held opinions about whether pickleball should supplant tennis courts at the city park.

    “It was a good meeting overall. I know it was frustrating for some. But a lot of good information was shared,” Gibson said.

    Some advocates said the Board of Aldermen’s 4-2 vote should be the final decision against the pickleball plan, but Gibson said he’ll continue to pursue a compromise.

    “I’m not giving up on a solution that satisfies both sports and further unites Natchez,” the mayor said.

    While a seemingly innocuous proposition, the plan sharply divided the aldermen in April along with the crowd that packed their meeting room for the May 18 hearing. It lasted more than 90 minutes and drew at least 18 public commentators.

    Alderman Valencia Hall has been the most outspoken board member against the pickleball proposition. She said splitting up three Duncan Park tennis courts into the smaller pickleball courts would be at the expense of a sport that tennis buffs say needs the existing 10 tennis courts for tournaments.

    However, Gibson has said the growing popularity of pickleball justifies the need to develop courts exclusively dedicated to this avocation at the city’s main recreational park. Pickleballers currently use Duncan Park tennis courts marked up and netted on a makeshift basis for their smaller playing space.

    The Board of Aldermen last month rejected a pickleball plan that also calls for resurfacing Duncan Park tennis courts at a total cost of about $31,000 – with half funded by private dollars. The mayor and board are scheduled to meet Tuesday, but it’s uncertain if the issue will resurface then.

  • Adams County Tornado Sirens Expected Back Online Next Week

    Adams County’s tornado-warning sirens are expected to all be working by next week after repairs are completed on several that have been silent in recent months, said Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford. 

    Seven of the county’s 18 towered sirens have been out of order, but Adams County “should be good on all sirens” next week, he said.

    However, an effective tornado-warning option for Adams County residents is a subscription to Hyper-Reach, which automatically phones them when bad weather approaches. Since this free service directly notifies people of any weather threats, it’s more reliable than the tornado sirens located throughout Natchez and Adams County. They’re mainly audible outdoors and not indoors.

      

    To subscribe to Hyper-Reach, visit https://luylink.com/hyperreach.

  • New Rules at Adams County Parks Include 10 P.M. Curfew and ATV Ban

    The Adams County Board of Supervisors has imposed time restrictions for being at county parks and also banned ATV vehicles from the recreational venues at the behest of Sheriff Travis Patten.

    Meeting Monday with county supervisors, Patten expressed concerns about late-night pleasure seekers racing their all-terrain vehicles at Providence Park and tearing up the grounds.

     

    The board voted to impose a 10 p.m.-to-sunrise curfew at county parks that include Providence, Lagrange and Kingston. Park hours could be extended for special events. ATVs will be prohibited at all times.

  • Cyberattack Leaves Adams County Residents Unable to Renew Vehicle Tags

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County supervisors closed the public out of discussions Monday about the ongoing investigation into the criminal cyberattack that crippled county government’s IT system last month.

    They can’t provide details to the public because of the sensitive nature of the ransom-motivated attack on the county’s information technology structure, said Scott Slover, the supervisors’ attorney.

    County administrators did say earlier this month that most of county government’s IT system is back online. However, the Adams County tax collector’s office still can’t process payments for vehicle taxes to renew car tags or issue license plates for newly purchased vehicles. The cyberattack disabled Adams County’s link to the Mississippi Department of Revenue, which processes the tax payments and registrations required for getting car tags, according to Adams County Tax Collector Terrence Bailey.

     

    County Supervisor Ricky Gray noted that he’s gotten many phone calls from constituents about this and wanted to discuss the IT crash during the Board of Supervisors’ open portion of Monday’s meeting. However, the board closed the public out of their discussions using a state law that allows government boards to meet in secret to confer about a wide array of issues — including investigations about “allegations of misconduct or violation of law.”

    It’s uncertain how long the county’s car-tag operations will be down. Slover did say county officials might consider ways to waive penalties or fines for delinquent vehicle owners with recently expired car tags or without license plates for newly purchased vehicles.

     
    Adams County supervisors earlier this month did agree to purchase insurance at a cost of $10,000 to cover the expenses of future cyberattacks. The most recent crash also came with a cost of more than $200,000 in county funds to buy new computer equipment and install security controls.

  • City officials advance plans for demolishing Natchez Fry building

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – City officials are seeking demolition contractors to tear down the Fry building as plans continue for making the downtown Natchez site a parking lot for the yet-to-be-renovated Eola hotel next door.
    Delays have bedeviled refurbishing the vacant hotel and razing the city-owned building – a project Mayor Dan Gibson noted has had “a lot of moving parts.”

    The Natchez Board of Aldermen on Tuesday agreed to solicit proposals from contractors on the costs of knocking down the Fry building. This is “very important for the Eola project,” Gibson said.

    The former office building – which has been ridden with asbestos – is being demolished with the help of more than $1 million in state and federal cleanup funds for transforming the site into a parking lot. Plans for tearing down the 1950s-era building have been ongoing since 2021, when it was donated to the city.

    Renovating the century-old Eola hotel – a Natchez landmark now an eyesore – is also tied to plans to accommodate riverboat passengers of American Cruise Lines. It’s building a $5.5 million dock to make Natchez a home port for passengers to board or unboard and stay here overnight.

    ACL’s long-planned wharf on the Mississippi River in the historic Natchez Under-the-Hill district has been approved by the Mississippi Department of Archives & History and Natchez Preservation Commission. The NPC reviewed plans Wednesday evening to ensure the riverside structure’s architectural design suits the historic Silver Street area.

    Construction of ACL’s Natchez dock could begin later this year, Gibson said, as the cruise company makes Natchez one of its three main mooring facilities on the lower Mississippi River along with New Orleans and Memphis. The Connecticut-based company is building another riverboat that’s expected to be christened here in 2028, according to the mayor.

    Using the city’s Silver Street boat ramp, ACL has been bringing riverboats with tourists to Natchez since 2012. Its fleet of Mississippi River ships include American Melody, American Serenade, American Symphony, American Splendor and American Heritage. The company pays Natchez a per-passenger fee each time it docks in the city.

    As the Eola hotel approaches its 100th anniversary being built in 1927, Gibson expressed hopes its private developers can restore and reopen it in time for the anticipated influx of ACL passengers staying overnight. While delayed by financial hurdles, plans have been made for the Eola to become a Marriot-affiliated hotel.

    The adjacent Fry building and land have been contaminated with hazardous asbestos and other pollutants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded Natchez a $1 million grant for clean-up costs, and the state Department of Environmental Quality has provided the city a $500,000 loan. Gibson said these state and federal funds are expected to cover the demolition costs.

  • After 80 Years, Passenger Trains May Return to Natchez

    After 80 Years, Passenger Trains May Return to Natchez

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – City aldermen agreed Tuesday to join two other neighboring towns to establish a Natchez-to-Brookhaven passenger train service that’s dependent on getting federal funds.

    Such a plan is still iffy as discussions for this have been ongoing for several years with much more work ahead to make it a reality, said Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson.

    “This won’t happen tomorrow. A lot depends on the (federal) grants that will be awarded later this year,” Gibson told the Natchez Board of Aldermen.

    The board agreed to join with Meadville and Brookhaven to advance plans for passenger train service. It’s in collaboration with Natchez Railway, the company that uses the 65-mile railroad track to haul freight to and from Brookhaven.

    Also involved is the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance, which has partnered with Hyatt to build a resort on Lake Okhissa about 40 miles from Natchez and near Meadville.

    Planning for the passenger rail service has been under the radar but extensive. “We have not talked about it, but we have worked hard on it,” said Gibson, who became Natchez mayor in 2020.

    He noted engineering work has been done for a site in Natchez where passengers could board the train.

    This comes as Natchez-Adams County prepares to have commercial passenger planes returning in July for the first time since the 1990s.

    Passenger trains stopped coming to Natchez in 1945, when Illinois Central ceased the service at the Broadway Street depot, according to historical accounts. Brookhaven, which is a stop for Amtrak, is the closest place to catch a passenger train.

    Gibson acknowledged passenger rail service’s return to Natchez is not a certainty.

    “It’s way premature to be celebrating anything right now…. We’re going to be leaning on federal grant dollars and Natchez Rail’s matching dollars for this project,” he said.

    Gibson noted Mississippi’s U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is striving to get federal funds for this. She did get congressional allocations last year for improving transportation access to Lake Okhissa, where Hyatt’s 200-room lodge and 1,000-person conference center is to be located. It’s scheduled to open in 2028, according to DLR Group, the design firm for the resort.

    The nearby Natchez-to-Brookhaven railroad in recent years has received millions of federal dollars for improvements. Natchez’ only rail line was threatened with abandonment because its substandard bridges could not accommodate heavy train cars. However, rehabilitation work was completed with   $10 million in federal funds received by Natchez in 2016 along with $3.3 million from Natchez Railway.

    Commodities hauled on the Natchez-to-Brookhaven railroad include forestry products, crude oil and empty train cars for a repair facility at Bude, according to Natchez Railway. Genesis Energy in Natchez has been a heavy user of the west-to-east rail line, which links to the larger north-to-south rail route going through Brookhaven.