For a city so dependent on tourism, I find it very disheartening that our city comes across looking very untidy and poverty stricken when riding around on area highways.

Butch Brown (formally with MDOT) really went to bat for Natchez by having our state highway medians/rights of way landscaped during recent reconstruction projects.

We seem to be having difficulty keeping them maintained, however, i.e. weeded and dead plant material removed/replaced, watered, fertilized and, most important, mulched.

I have heard through the grapevine recently that certain public officials want to have the landscaping removed and beds covered up with concrete (particularly at the Seargent S. Prentiss Drive and Liberty Road overpass).

There has to be a better way of dealing with this. Can area prisoners provide maintenance? Volunteer groups?

I cringe every time I drive down John R. Junkin Drive to see weeds knee-deep taking over the recently planted centipede sod and weeds encroaching the newly mounded mulch around the crepe myrtle trees.

Hats off to East Automotive for keeping the stretch of median in front of their business cut/edged. They have done this for many years and should be commended for it. Maybe other businesses lining area highways could be encouraged to do the same?

Entergy has really dragged their feet on removing the old and outdated street lights/ poles. Heading east on U.S. 84, you enter Natchez to find weeds around the “Welcome to Natchez” sign, no landscaping or lighting! There is a log/piece of wood in the juniper bed (in the median/left turning lane onto Canal Street near the bridge) that has been there for more than two months, as well as truck ruts that have destroyed half of that bed heading west toward the Mississippi River bridge.

My brother was recently visiting from out of town, and mentioned that someone needs to mow the grass as we were headed east on John R. Junkin after coming off the bridge. My brother said he was glad he didn’t live here anymore, because nothing around Natchez is kept up. I felt embarrassed and got defensive, taking up for Natchez, but truthfully felt the same way he does.

I would like to spearhead an effort to tackle this problem as soon as possible, because it has been an issue the more than 20 years I have lived here, and it never seems to get resolved. With the government belt tightening, it’s liable to get worse before it gets better!

We have one impression to make when people are coming to Natchez for the first time, and the way we are portraying ourselves concerning upkeep and maintenance is pretty poor. If we have to form a mowing and edging brigade to keep up our appearance, count me in as the first member!

I would also like to address the maintenance, cleaning and lighting of the fountain in Memorial Park. It’s starting to have issues once again. Could an area pool maintenance person keep the water clean and clear? Could overhead lighting and underwater lighting be installed to highlight the renovated fountain, which is a work of art? I’d like to see this addressed as well. Tourists and locals alike would flock to this place in the evening if it were maintained and beautified.

My last peeve is the fencing lining the new walkway going down Broadway, overlooking Silver Street. I love the new walking trail and the wrought iron/brick fencing. Why was it not continued down to Rosalie? Not doing that makes the whole project look half done. Also, I spend a lot of my time pulling up weeds as I walk around newly planted trees and picking up garbage.

This is another area that is crying for regular maintenance.

If we can’t do the basics, how are we going to flourish into a tourist Mecca?

Sterling Dossett is a Natchez resident.