NATCHEZ — Natchez-Adams County has long marketed itself as a place of history and beauty. Now, one county supervisor has made it his mission to make sure the area lives up to that promise to outsiders.

Supervisor David Carter took a plan to the Natchez Board of Aldermen earlier this week that would detail what needs to be done to maintain the flower beds and green space in the median on John R. Junkin Drive, including routine, year-round mulching, edging and weeding.

Currently, the area is not being maintained at the level it should be, he said.

“We claim that we are a tourist town, we are a historic town, and if we are going to make those statements we need to look like it,” Carter said. “When tourists come to town, that is their first impression, and we need to make that a good impression.”

Carter said he developed the plan on his own initiative, using the knowledge of landscaping and horticulture he has from his job as county agent. The 20-page proposal includes a sample landscaping contract and specific instructions for planting and plant maintenance.

“We have so many volunteers who do so much to beautify our town on their own, but I think it is time for myself and other elected officials to step up,” Carter said.

The aldermen did not act on Carter’s plan Tuesday, but he said they were receptive to it and he is also developing a plan to maintain the area around the Liberty Road bridge. Ultimately, he would like for the city and county to adopt a five- to six-year expanded landscaping plan.

“My goal long term would be to have all of our main throughways looking like we care,” he said.

“When people come to town, they have an expectation of how Natchez should look, the history and beauty, and we need to make sure their expectations are met.”

Likewise, Carter said the area needs to maintain a certain aesthetic for economic development purposes. Prospective industries aren’t going to locate in an area where the people don’t appear to care about their town, he said.

“If we can show that we care how our town looks, we show that we care,” Carter said.

While some aspects of the landscaping plan would require hiring properly trained landscaping professionals, Carter said some parts of it could be done cheaply, with inmate labor. His plan, Carter said, would involve both county and city involvement as far as paying for it would be concerned.

Exactly how much it would cost, however, would depend on the bids submitted by the contract labor. Carter estimated it would cost approximately $20,000 over the course of a year.

“This is something I don’t mind spending money on, because it is something that you can see tangibly,” he said. “It’s all about community beautification and community pride.”