NATCHEZ — Area leaders are planning to pool their resources in an effort to make improvements to the community swimming pool that opened last spring on a site near Natchez High School.

During a special-called joint meeting Thursday of the Natchez Mayor and Board of Aldermen, the Adams County Board of Supervisors, Natchez-Adams School Board members and the Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission, Natchez aldermen passed a motion authorizing aldermen to pursue a Land Water Conservation grant to fund the improvements.

During Thursday’s meeting interim Natchez city clerk, James Johnston made a presentation that recommended the city apply for $106,200 grant for federal funding with a 50-percent match.

The matching funds could then be split between the boards, Johnston said.

According to the budget, the funds would be enough to heat the swimming pool — but not cover it — and add a shower and locker facility for swim teams. The maximum funding officials could apply for with the Land Water Conservation grant is $175,000.

Officials said they would still need to seek additional funds to cover the pool so it could be heated: either with a flat cover to roll over the pool when not in use, or with a structure built over the pool with movable siding that would allow the pool to be in used in colder months of the year.

The county budgeted a total of $334,000 to be used on an “as needed” basis by the recreation commission — either for capital improvements, maintenance and operational costs, said board of supervisors attorney Scott Slover.

Meanwhile, the city funds half the operating costs for the aquatics center and the city and county each provide an additional $100,000 to be used strictly for capital improvements.

During Thursday’s meeting, District 2 Supervisor David Carter said he was concerned that nearly all of the money the county allocated had been spent on the aquatics center and administration costs alone.

“I think everyone in this room has the same goal, but the people want to see some kind of progress,” he said. “We’ve shown them something with the pool … but all of our parks need some attention as well. Right now, we’re putting two thirds of the whole budget into one facility and that’s about to grow.”

Ward 1 Alderman, Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, said the boards need someone to seek out more grant opportunities to move more than one project forward at the same time, to which District 5 Supervisor, Calvin Butler agreed.

“We need to put everything down on paper — what we want to do … get someone to guide this forward and see if we can’t have some bonds issued to get things done,” Butler said.