NATCHEZ — The City of Natchez and Adams County are hosting a spring cleaning day this month aimed at cleaning up the community.

Mayor Darryl Grennell recently hosted a meeting to plan Spring Cleanup Day 2017 after, he said, resident Marty Seibert contacted him about organizing such an event.

At the meeting, Seibert said she thinks it would be beneficial if the city hosted a cleaning day every year before tourists flock to the city in the spring. While the day will be later in the tourist season this year, she said future cleaning days could be hosted before many visitors arrive.

Seibert also said she would like to see more school initiatives that education children about the importance of not littering and other aspects of keeping a community clean.

In attendance at the meeting were representatives from the city’s public works and tourism departments, Adams County’s road department, Natchez Fire Department, Keep-Natchez Adams County Beautiful, the Adams County Health Department, the YMCA and other organizations and city staff.

The group settled on Saturday, April 22 as the date for the cleaning day because it is Earth Day

City Planner Riccardo Giani said Waste Pro USA, with which the city contracts for waste services, is supposed to host an Earth Day event per the company’s contract with the city. Giani said he would contact Waste Pro about a partnership for the cleaning day.

Lacy Boykin with Keep Natchez-Adams County Beautiful said the group could supply trash bags and trash grabber tools for participants to use.

Ward 4 Alderwoman Felicia Irving suggested using Neighborhood Watch meetings as a way to recruit participants and to educate residents on the importance of keeping their neighborhoods clean.

Irving said she would help organize the city’s other aldermen to plan cleaning for their individual wards so residents could clean up their own neighborhoods instead of one designated area in the city.

The group also floated the idea of a possible beautification award that would be routinely handed out to residents or neighborhoods that keep their areas clean.

The cleanup day committee is set to meet again this week to iron out final details of the event.