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NATCHEZ — District 4 Supervisor Ricky Gray said Monday it’s time for those who use Chester Willis Baseball Field to pay for doing so.

Gray brought up the issue of setting a fee schedule for the use of Chester Willis Field and said the schedule needs to be in place before the beginning of baseball season.

“We can’t afford to let anyone do anything for free,” Gray said.

Middleton said the issue is not as simple as setting a fee schedule.

“I think there is a little more to it that needs to be discussed. This conversation needs to be had with Johnny (Williams, who is in charge of county maintenance) as to what goes on out there on a weekly basis. I talked to Johnny recently about some fertilizer out there and I know for a fact that Tom Graning with Cathedral goes out there three days a week cutting the grass, so there is some expense there that needs to be considered.”

“If they are doing in-kind service, they need to be compensated for in-kind service,” Gray said. “At the end of the day, there needs to be something in place.”

Middleton suggested asking the two schools who regularly use Chester Willis Field for baseball games to be allowed to sell 10 sponsorship signs each to be hung in the outfield and that serve as payment for use of the field.

“When you have 45 people show up for a Natchez baseball game, they can’t afford to pay officials and pay for use of the field. Neither can Cathedral,” Middleton said.

Natchez High and Cathedral Schools routinely make use of the newly-renovated Chester Willis Field for their home baseball games.

“It is easy for Cathedral to go out and get sponsors, but they aren’t jumping on for these other schools like they are for Cathedral. Maybe they will. We aren’t finished discussing this,” Gray said.