NATCHEZ — Conceptual plans for the City of Natchez’s proposed Roth Hill riverfront park are nearly ready to be sent to the Mississippi Department of Transportation in hopes of receiving a grant to build the park.

The plans for the $3 million park include an amphitheater, an in-ground spray fountain, lawn area, a boardwalk connecting to the Natchez Trails Project, playground and garden area.

The city is applying for a grant under MDOT’s Transportation Enhancement program at the end of August to fund construction of the park. Natchez City Engineer David Gardner said he hopes the city will be awarded the grant sometime in October.

The city plans to combine the $300,000 contributions from the city’s lease with Magnolia Bluffs Casino developers for the Natchez Trails Project and the park for the 20-percent cost match for the grant.

Gardner said the city plans to host public hearings if the city is awarded the grant for input and feedback during the final detailed design process. He said the hearings will more than likely be sometime late this year or early 2013.

The Natchez-Adams County Community Alliance’s park design committee met with the park’s landscape architect, Premier Gaming Group President Kevin Preston, Gardner and Historic Natchez Foundation Director Mimi Miller Tuesday to review the third draft of the park plans.

Landscape architect Bob Hughes of HGOR Planners & Landscape Architects said patrons will enter the park from the parking lot adjacent to the Magnolia Bluffs Casino through an arched gateway. A mound planted with trees will form the body of a fish that will have a sculpted head and fin coming out of the ground near a play area for children.

The play area, or “the area of wonderment and delight,” will include an in-ground spray fountain with interactive water features and a river overlook area.

The amphitheater, or “The Bowl” as it is called in the plans, will seat approximately 500 people and have a staging area for entertainment.

A boardwalk will extend from the upper level of the amphitheater and connect to the Natchez Trails Project’s gravel nature trail below the bluff. The trail will come down by the amphitheater, go down through the park and parking lot and loop around the park.

A riverside garden area on the south end of the park will include a pavilion and an area for large gatherings.

Gardner said he is excited for the addition of the park along the riverfront and hopeful the city will receive the grant to make it possible.

“I think it’s going to be a tremendous asset to the community, something that everyone can enjoy, both young and old,” Gardner said. “This park will become a major asset to enjoy the Natchez riverfront.”