NATCHEZ — The Feb. 12 alderman’s meeting could determine whether the old First Baptist Church building on Main Street is a phoenix or a flop.

Dream Homes, Inc., a development group based out of Merrero, La., bought the disintegrating property in September of last year with the hopes of cleaning up the building and converting it into condos.

Representatives of Dream Homes will appear before the aldermen at their Feb. 12 meeting in hopes of being granted permission to pick up their stalled renovation work.

“After that (Feb. 12) we hope to get all of our permits and to move forward with the work,” owner Judy Weatherly said.

After Dream Homes, Inc. took possession of the building, part of the clean-up effort on their part was to remove the old stained-glass windows and put them up for sale, reportedly at the behest of interested buyers.

At the time, project manager Jim Thompson said it was not his initial intention to sell the windows, but after several citizens made requests about buying them he decided to do so.

The Historic Natchez Foundation objected to the removal of the windows because it was altering the faade of a downtown building and because it would further expose the building to the elements.

There was also some confusion between the company and the city about whether or not they needed a clean-up permit.

Work on the building is not currently ongoing.

The building was previously owned by New Orleans-based Universal Missions Inc., which took over ownership of the building in November 2006.

The city voted to sue the company after they could not be contacted about cleaning up the property — which has been vacant since the 1970s — and bringing it into compliance with city regulations.

Homeless people were reportedly sleeping in the building and a portion of the roof had collapsed.