NATCHEZ — The beanfield may not remain a beanfield after all.

Of course, it could. The final answer depends on who gives the best bid for the property.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen had discussed and even voted to approve leasing the city-owned plot across the highway from Walmart to a local farmer to save on maintenance costs for the 37-acre property, but later stepped back from the move.

Alderman Mark Forenbery, who made the February motion, and City Attorney Hyde Carby later contacted the Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission about handling the leasing of the property, commission chair Tate Hobdy said.

The city had received the property — which was originally intended to be the southern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway — in July 2015. Its conveyance took an act of Congress and a vote from the state Legislature, and came with the stipulation that the property be used for recreational or educational purposes.

The field has been the proposed site for a new recreation facility, and is near the location of the pool and multipurpose fields on which officials recently broke ground.

How to deal with maintenance of the field in the interim was kicked to the Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission in March, commission member John Ward Junkin said.

“We were informed that being for recreation, and us being the recreation board, it was under our umbrella,” Junkin said, noting that the board was told of interest by a farmer.

“We didn’t want to spend any city money doing it, so the recreation board got together and decided not only try to save the city some money, but to generate some money for recreation while we are sitting back and trying to figure out what avenues we have for future development.”

The field had been leased for agriculture use in the past, but, “if we could get a better money that we can put into developing the beanfield, that would be ideal,” Hobdy said.

The city board’s vote in February was to lease the property for $10, but the ads the recreation commission has been running seek a non-negotiable minimum of $15 per acre.

“We decided to do that because we thought we needed some kind of starting point on there,” he said. “Thirty to 40 acres is a few hundred dollars. If we can’t get that, we might need to back up and punt.”

The ad the commission has been running says the successful bidder will maintain the property in crops or cut it a minimum of four times a year with “no permanent structures or alterations to the property, no harmful chemicals applied, no creation of impoundments, wetlands or irrigation lagoons.”

Junkin said in addition to agricultural use, the commission has heard interest from a private group, “that wanted to lease it for recreation that would be open to the whole community.”

“But until we see their (official) proposals, we can’t be sure,” he said.

Bids for the property will have to be sealed and delivered to the city clerk’s office by 4 p.m. May 17.

The commission will be consider the proposals at 5:30 p.m. on May 17 at the Natchez Chamber of Commerce’s office.