NATCHEZ — Natchez and Adams County officials have agreed to split matching funds for a recreation grant for more than $400,000 worth of improvements at the community pool located near Liberty Road in Natchez.

Natchez Community Development Director James Johnston said local officials plan to heat and cover the outdoor pool to extend its seasonal use and to install lockers and showers for swim teams.

Johnston said the city has submitted an application for approximately $270,000 in funding for the pool improvements through the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Land and Water Conservation Fund program, adding the program requires a local match for half of the funds.

During its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, the Adams County Board of Supervisors approved approximately $66,000 for the project by a vote of 3-2, with supervisors David Carter and Mike Lazarus both voting “no.”

Carter asked sports and programs director, Faye Minor why the pool was not currently open to regular swimmers.

Minor said 10 students were trained and hired to work as lifeguards during the summer and are enrolled in school in the fall.

The current swim schedule only accommodates certain swim teams and groups when the staff is available, Minor said.

“I just don’t see us paying more to heat and cover the pool when we don’t even have enough lifeguards to keep it open,” Carter said.

District 4 Supervisor Ricky Gray made the motion to approve the match and argued that the pool would be closed in the fall anyway because of how it was built.

“Until we heat it and get a cover on it the pool is going to be closed this time of year anyway,” Gray said.

Lazarus said there are other recreational projects that he felt should be a bigger priority.

“I want to see our ball fields done first,” Lazarus said.

Johnston said the city has budgeted its portion of the grant already, adding he will know more by next month whether the department of Wildlife and Fisheries will approve it.

“I am optimistic that we’ll hear something between the end of this month and the first of next month,” Johnston said.

In other matters during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting of the Adams County Board of Supervisors, the board:

• 4 Heard a presentation from Copiah Lincoln Community College president Jane Hulon, who requested the board consider extending more funds to the school in their 2019-2020 fiscal year budget. No action had been taken to that effect.
• Unanimously extended a proclamation for emergency funding for flood damages through February.
• Heard a request from local attorney Paul Benoist to add a non-binding item to the ballot for the Adams County general election on Nov. 5 that would determine the number of city and county residents in favor of consolidation of local government functions by repealing the Natchez City Charter and transferring all city government powers, duties and functions to the Adams County government. No action had been taken to that effect.