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Natchez must stop spinning its wheels
Published Sunday, September 21, 2008
Once again, Natchez-Adams County is spinning its wheels and not actually doing much on developing recreation in the community.
The tune is similar to what we’ve heard before. Most everyone wants to do something. But few people know what exactly they want to do and, of course, no one has the funds to do anything.
We seem to be stuck in a spin cycle on this.
Perhaps we need some kind of intervention to break through our leadership malaise.
Maybe we need to do something traditionally hated by yours truly. Let’s hire two consultants to come in and get the leaders of the City of Natchez and Adams County on the same page.
The first consultant would be baseball legend Yogi Berra.
The former Yankee is highly popular and known for his sense of humor and his ability to cut through the situation with one of his humorous verbal hits.
Berra would be able to quickly assess the situation with one of his most famous quotables: It’s like déjà vu all over again.
Having Berra as a headliner would almost guarantee that a crowd would show up. He’s the star; the second consultant is really a team of people.
It would consist of Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland, Concordia, Concordia Parish Recreation District No. 3 President Marc Archer and anyone else the pair feels is useful to attend. This duo and others have proven successful in making a recreation plan and implementing it in Vidalia.
After Berra gets the crowd laughing and joking, perhaps Copeland will introduce the 1993 film “Groundhog Day.”
If you haven’t seen the film, it’s worth watching, though some of the themes are adult so be careful with young eyes. In the film the main character, played by Bill Murray, finds himself repeating the same day over and over and over again.
It happens to be his least favorite day too, at least at first.
Eventually, he realizes that he holds the power to change what’s wrong in his life. He does so and the repeating spin cycle is broken.
Then as Berra heads out the back door, Copeland, Archer and others can — hopefully — help Natchez-Adams leaders sit down and agree on a plan for what our community needs in the form of recreation, why we need it and then worry about funding it.
Our mistake of late is worrying about the bill before we know what we want to buy, or why we want to buy it.
Creating a new recreation complex has two massively important — but slightly different — benefits.
Recreation can just be a local, quality of life undertaking or it can be aimed at that, plus economic development. Or maybe we want both?
Understanding the goal will weigh heavily into what type of complex our community needs to build.
Do we just want improved facilities to offer exactly the same recreational opportunities that we offer right now? Or do we want to expand what we offer our residents?
Do our children deserve “good enough” facilities or do they deserve great ones?
The answer to that question will tell us much about where our community’s goals lie. Are we more interested in saving a dollar here and there or in investing that dollar into our children’s future and, perhaps, into our area’s economy?
We need to be able to answer that question and we need some traction on the recreation issue soon so we can stop the spinning wheels.
Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.
Comments
Posted by getalifenatchez (anonymous) on September 21, 2008 at 2:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thumbs up Kevin for dealing with this issue head on... I appreciate the ND's active role in getting the ball rolling. Our children, grandchildren, and future children deserve a lot better than what is available now in regards to recreation. If Natchez and Adams County can't come together on this, our community will continue to live with a black eye so to speak. I love Natchez, and want the best for it... How do we pay for it? Who needs to put their first step forward to get the job done??? You guys have at least kept the subject alive, and its in black and white for all to ponder---so maybe some good will come from it...
Thank you again for at least trying to get people to see eye to eye on this topic....
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on September 21, 2008 at 3:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank you Kevin for keeping this in the news!
Our kids do deserve nice modern facilities, I just dont understand why something like this cant be accomplished.
Posted by dangyankee (anonymous) on September 21, 2008 at 5:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The question that has been nagging at me over the last day or so, since Ben Hillyer's opinion on this same topic was published, is, "If you build it, will they come?"
Has anybody asked kids, presumably the "target" of this plan or pseudoplan or topic of conversation or whatever, what THEY would want? And, if it is built, has anyone asked them how they would get to it? A kid living on Canal Street, for instance, would have trouble getting to a recreational center built near Natchez High, or way down south on Jeff Davis Blvd.
Frankly, this whole idea smells like something we "adults" are doing to make up for our screwups in raising our kids. It is more "replacement parenting," like TV or material "stuff" like computers, etc.
Has anyone looked into what has been done by other smalltown small towns which have built recreational centers? How have they fared? I'm honestly curious.
Then again, I'm not from here, so what do I know?
Posted by dangyankee (anonymous) on September 21, 2008 at 6:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I grew up (or didn't; opinions vary) in a small town in northwest Missouri. We didn't have a "recreational facility." What we did have was a public swimming pool, and the "Lil' Duffer," a burger joint at the south edge of town that had a couple of pinball machines. The pinball machines were monopolized by a group--gang--of approximately 18-year-olds who hung out there every day, impressing the chicks and so on, whatever these pseudoadults did (I was too busy working at a job, washing dishes at a truck stop, to pay much attention to them, other than merely to notice them).
Having observed Natchez and its inhabitants for 6 years now, my semieducated guess is that, if you build a recreational facility, it would be taken over very quickly by modern-day versions of those guys who hogged the pinball machines at the Lil' Duffer way back in my misspent youth. It would become just another place for the "hoods" to gather.
The "good kids" of Natchez, and there are a lot of them, I'm finding, are already finding ways to "recreate": Some of them even read books, if you can imagine.
Still, Natchez needs at least a public swimming pool. That's it. Nothing inside, nothing enclosed by walls, with dark corners and so on--just an outside, public swimming pool. This charming little city on the river could build THAT much, couldn't it?
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on September 21, 2008 at 6:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ditto to the top two posters and a big double, triple thanks to the Natchez Democrat for keeping it in print. For years I have stressed the point that until the common, everyday hard working, tax paying "Joe's and Jane's get a back bone and stand up to the private sector of Ntz/AC they will never have their great dream. To let such a beautiful dream lie along the wayside and completely die will be their fault. Until they realize they should have as much say so and control of their tax dollars as the private sector does, it will die. Until they stand on their principles and say they have had enough and really mean it and are determined to do something about it, it will die. All the common everyday Joe's and Jane's know exactly who I'm referring to when I say 'private sector'. They are the one's who control your tax dollars now and always because they think of themselves as the upper crust of the community. They think, dollar for dollar your little pittance of tax dollars don't amount to much. I know exactly what I'm taking about. I have worked for these people all my life and I know exactly what they think of us everyday common workers as they would call us. There has been plenty of grants that have come to this area in the name of recreation, but it has been gobbled up by their greedy hands and put to their own use. It's time for you Joe's and Jane's to get a backbone and demand for the tide to change. If and when you decide to take control don't look to find any trace of all the grant money nor any legal will that was left for the children of Natchez/AC. I'm pretty sure those papers long ago came up 'misplaced'. I've been told on these post to get a grip, take a breather, but that is one thing I cannot do when it comes to this subject that I know is so important for the good of the community.
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on September 21, 2008 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Try going to Hattiesburg and Laurel and looking at the facilities that those towns have built in the last several years. Laurel's economy was not much better than Natchez when they decided to built new recreation areas. They are wonderful. Hattiesburg has some of the best baseball fields for youth in the SOUTH. They are wonderful and Hattiesburg is steadily adding on to the recreation area.
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on September 21, 2008 at 3:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I feel ya Red...other towns have much better facilities, and Natchez should as well.
As far as how would a kid on Canal get there? They get there like my kid got to places, mom and dad take them!
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on September 21, 2008 at 4:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Redusm>> been thru Hattisburg but never visited the rec. area. Will make a point to visit the next time I pass thru. It sounds great.
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on September 21, 2008 at 8:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
redusmfan...not excuses, but it must be pointed out that Laurel has an huge ongoing and very profitable industry in Howard Industries which helps keep the tax receipts pretty high and stable and the people pretty well employed.
Hattiesburg has a major state funded high school, er, sorry, university called, uh, well, I'm a Bulldog and we can't remember what that school is called...LOL.
Posted by kpage (anonymous) on September 22, 2008 at 8:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
<<destiny>> I'll not discount a single word you posted earlier! It's the very "higher ups", or those who profit from them, who'll try to convince you you're wrong...but I won't. I'm a regular Jane who's tired of being told to shut up and sit down. I guess that's why nothing gets done...they feel the little man (or lady) doesn't have the smarts nor social standing to have a voice. Scream, destiny scream! I'll lend you my megaphone!
Hopefully this series of articles in the Demo will shake something up in Natchez/Adams County. Makes me wonder that the big-wigs don't want it because it doesn't spell P-R-O-F-I-T for them, or isn't exclusive to only them.
Posted by crawgator (anonymous) on September 22, 2008 at 5:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Go to Baton Rouge from 61s, take the 110 exit, then take exit 5b to Airline highway East, take the first left past the RR tracks, go down to the red light and hang a left, park is on the left. There are six of these parks in Baton Rouge and they are perfect. also after talking to the Lady in charge of these parks I can promise you there are no 18 year old "Group Gangs" gonna run anything there but away....
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on September 22, 2008 at 9:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just for the record, I'm for recreational investment in our community, but I feel I do have to throw some reality into the conversation.
Baton Rouge is a state capitol, just like Jackson, and a far larger city with a far larger tax base and economy...they can afford the nice facilities mentioned.
Much attention has been brought on Vidalia's recent acquisitions of land for recreation. Who's to say that Vidalia's recreation program isn't the same as our convention center program, i.e. a program that will leave them in debt for years?
Perhaps the prudent choice would be to wait and see how it goes both for Vidalia and Natchez. Vidalia may regret their actions. Natchez might realize the benefits of recent industrial good fortune.
In the mean time a few smaller, less expensive and risky projects might be compromised on by the City and County.
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on September 23, 2008 at 7:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sam,
I will tell you the name of the major UNIVERSITY in Hattiesburg that is the only team in the state to have 15 straight winning football seasons and to have the best polymer science and construction engineering schools in the SOUTHEAST, IT ISTHE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI. Now take that to cowtown with you while you go to watch Sly Croom and company lose a few more...
PS, the best thing to ever come out of Cowtown was the new highway 16 BYPASS....lmao...lol...rotflmbo,,
A USM Grad and Diehard Fan,
The RED USM Fan...lol....
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on September 23, 2008 at 9:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Redusmfan...all in good fun!
The joke used to say Highway 12, but at least there are other ways out and around now.
BTW...ya'll wanna play baseball?...we'll send the football team...LOL.
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