NATCHEZ &045; City officials will meet this morning in Jackson with Department of Archives and History officials to make their argument that the former Natchez Pecan Factory site isn’t worthy of being named a state landmark.

Last week, Mayor Phillip West said the city will tear down the building to make way for a condominium development despite Archives and History’s statement that, under state law, it has the right to first review the site to see if it qualifies as a landmark.

If the building does qualify as a landmark, Archives and History would have the right, under the state’s Antiquities Law, to OK plans for any development on the site, according to department Historic Preservation Director Ken P’Pool.

&uot;We’re meeting on whether or not they’ll make that a historic landmark,&uot; Mayor Pro Tem and Alderman David Massey said Wednesday.

At the meeting, set for 10 a.m. at the department’s state office, City Planner Andrew Smith will make the city’s presentation, Massey said. Smith could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

But also on Wednesday, West reiterated he would be willing to go to jail and/or pay fines as the result of tearing down the building.

&uot;I intend to see that that building is demolished,&uot; West said. &uot;I hope they (Archives and History) will grant us a (demolition) permit. But if they do not, I am willing to pay any penalties the law requires.&uot;

The State Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday the penalty for violating the Antiquities Law by tearing down the building would be up to $5,000 and/or 30 days in jail.

If the building is torn down, the Attorney General’s Office would then have to investigate to determine what city officials’ roles were in the demolition and, therefore, which ones would be subject to penalties, said the office’s Reese Partridge.

&uot;We’re working to resolve this through the parties involved, Š and we’ll be glad to meet with them&uot; to resolve the matter, Partridge said, reading from a written statement by Attorney General Jim Hood.

Partridge said the Attorney General’s Office was informed late last week by Archives and History that West had said the building would be torn down regardless, and as a result the AG’s Office sent the city a letter by fax reiterating the law and penalties for disobeying it.

West confirmed Wednesday he had known about the penalties &uot;ever since last week.&uot;

Preservationists and locals have said the $19 million condo development Ed Worley and Larry L. Brown Jr. of Natchez propose for the site &045; with more than 53 units, standing five stories tall &045; doesn’t fit in with the character of the surrounding buildings and isn’t in keeping with Natchez’s preservation ordinance or design guidelines.

But city officials have said that such a development is needed to help boost Natchez’s struggling economy and act as a catalyst for further development along the riverfront.