NATCHEZ — A local senator intends to file an amendment to a state appropriations bill currently making its way through the Legislature to transfer ownership of the Natchez Visitor Reception Center to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Sen. Bob Dearing, D-Natchez, said Tuesday he has prepared an amendment to the recently passed House transportation appropriation bill that would put the center under MDOT’s budget. The bill is set to go to the Senate for review, and Dearing said he plans to offer the amendment in committee.

The visitor center is owned by the City of Natchez and is one of the only welcome centers in Mississippi not owned by the state.

“It makes sense that MDOT (would take) control,” Dearing said.

The center also serves headquarters for the Natchez National Historical Park and the city’s tourism operations.

City of Natchez, National Park Service and tourism officials met recently to discuss future ownership of the center and management of the city-owned building at the intersection of John R. Junkin Drive and Canal Street.

With an appropriation from the state for this fiscal year that was less than what it has been in the past and uncertainty about future funding, officials have been searching for alternative to the current arrangement.

The city has been operating under tight budget constraints, and officials have said the city cannot afford the necessary repairs and maintenance needed for the 25,000-square foot building.

State officials have echoed similar sentiments about the state’s budgetary limitations.

Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, has said he has repeatedly proposed transferring ownership of the building to MDOT to legislators without success.

Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Bond offered little hope at the recent meeting about the visitor center that NPS would take over the building, citing the federal agency’s own budgetary concerns.

Dearing said if the state takes over the building, he thinks the structure of the center will remain relatively the same, with NPS and city operations still located in the center.

Though he is uncertain what the outcome of the amendment to the bill will be, Dearing said he is optimistic. The fate of the amendment should be decided sometime in the next week, Dearing said.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen voted at its Tuesday meeting to support Dearing’s efforts to transfer ownership of the building to MDOT.

Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, in whose ward the center is located, asked that the city continue to explore all possible avenues for finding a plan for successful management and maintenance of the visitor center.