NATCHEZ — Alderman Bob Pollard’s call to upgrade a street in his ward Tuesday caused a cascade of similar requests from other aldermen and ended with the board dedicating up to $50,000 to street repairs in five wards.

It started when Pollard said he had gotten a number of complaints about Woodville Drive.

“The county did some overlaying in part of the neighborhood, and they ran out of money before they could get to Woodville Drive,” Pollard said. “It is in deplorable condition. It is almost like a gravel road.”

After speaking with the city engineer and getting a quote from a contractor, Pollard said the cost to overlay Woodville Drive would be $12,000.

Pollard requested the money be taken from the city’s capital outlay funds.

“We earmarked the rent money from the new casino for capital improvements and infrastructure, which is streets and buildings, and that is where I am asking the money to come from,” he said.

When City Clerk Donnie Holloway said that money was placed in the public property funds, Pollard responded, “Then take it from public properties.”

Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said that, as long as the funds were available, she would like to make a “friendly amendment” to Pollard’s motion to also include the overlay of Vine Street. When Mayor Jake Middleton asked if Mathis’ amendment had a second, Alderman Tony Fields replied, “I will second it if we add Orange Avenue.”

Alderman Rickey Gray said he would like to see as much of West Stiers Lane overlaid as $8,000 could do — $8,000 was the estimated cost for the Orange Avenue overlay — and Alderman Dan Dillard said he would like to include a portion of Roselawn Avenue that constantly floods in any street improvements.

“We can’t always turn to our citizens and say, ‘There is no money for street improvements because we used it for something else,” Dillard said.

Mathis made the motion to use the May land rent payment from Premier Gaming, which totals $50,000, for the street upgrades. As part of her motion, Mathis specified that the cost of the total upgrades will not exceed $50,000.

Dillard also suggested that the new board, which will be seated in July, come up with a long-term street maintenance plan.

In other news:

-The board voted to renew the inter-local agreement it entered into with the Adams County Board of Supervisors and the Natchez-Adams County School District that created the Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission.

Commission member Bubba Kaiser said the agreement was set to expire June 30, and has to be approved by the state attorney general’s office.

When Gray suggested extending the existing agreement until July 31 so the new board can address it, Kaiser said the language in the agreement allows the city to revoke the agreement at any time.

“A renewal is a lot simpler process than doing a whole new thing,” Kaiser said.

Alderman Mark Fortenbery said he would like to approve the agreement pending the approval of the board’s attorney.

“This is something we cannot let fail,” he said.

The agreement was renewed for five years.

-The board voted to allow Youth Build to use two city offices, which Holloway said would be considered a $400 in-kind grant match for each office.

-The board voted to accept the maintenance and inspection for an Emergency Watershed Project that Adams County is completing on Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

Adams County Board Attorney Scott Slover appeared before the aldermen in the work session before the meeting to request the city take over the inspection and maintenance of the site.

The inspection only has to be done annually, Slover said.