Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NATCHEZ — Natchez residents will have the chance to speak out about proposed development of the former Titan Tire facility at an Oct. 17 public hearing.

The Mayor and Board of Aldermen on Tuesday approved the hearing, which begins at  6 p.m. at Christian Hope Baptist Church, 301 LaSalle St.

Any citizen of the City of Natchez is invited to attend the public hearing and will be allowed to speak for a reasonable amount of time and offer tangible evidence before any vote is taken, reads a public notice from the city scheduled to publish in the Sept. 31-Oct. 1 print edition of The Democrat.

The majority of Tuesday’s meeting of the mayor and board of aldermen was spent discussing a company who wants to development the facility to produce nutraceuticals and adaptogens.

“In layman’s terms, they will produce health-giving foods containing medicinal benefits,” said Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson.

Some residents in the area are concerned developing the plant will “awaken” contamination and toxic chemicals on the site.

Trey Hess, an environmental engineer with PPM Consultants who has been working on several brownfield areas in the city, said the primary concerns with the plant are an area of asbestos in the basement of the facility and groundwater in a back portion of the plant that has been contaminated with fuel.

The area of contaminated groundwater is being monitored by the Mississippi Department of Environment Quality and is not included in the area proposed of the plant proposed for development.

Hess said the asbestos in the plant it harmless unless disturbed. If that is necessary, strict guidelines must be followed to do so.

Ward 4 Alderwoman Felicia Bridgewater-Irving moved Tuesday to set a public hearing so anyone who wanted to give an opinion on the proposed development would have a chance to be heard.