NATCHEZ — Recent work by Natchez Water Works near the proposed site of a nursing center has nothing to do with the development of the center, City Engineer David Gardner said.

Water Works finished Friday reconnecting a water main it disconnected four years ago, Gardner said. It has been a lengthy process getting an easement to do the work, Gardner said.

“It’s important for us to have all of our lines connect, and we’ve had that little gap we’ve been waiting to reconnect so we could put the main back in service,” he said.

Gardner said the work has nothing to do with the proposed development of a nursing center at the same site.

Work has been done at that site and a turn lane constructed, but developer Gail Evans has said he does plan on building the center for a couple of years.

Evans said he is currently developing three other nursing centers in other towns and wants to get those completed before he attempts to develop the property that neighbors the Glenwood subdivision.

The Natchez Planning Commission and the Natchez Board of Aldermen denied Evans’ request in 2009 to rezone a 3.6-acre parcel of land on John R. Junkin Drive to allow a construction of a nursing center.

To develop a nursing center, the R-1 residential zoned piece of land would have to be rezoned as a special use district.

Gardner said the work done at the site so far has not been significant enough to require permits from the city.

“They may have scraped the surface, but it wasn’t any kind of dirt movement that would require a permit,” he said.