NATCHEZ, Miss. – A construction company’s bid to upgrade Morgantown Road appears nearly affordable after previous proposals busted the budget and delayed plans for the long-stalled, multimillion-dollar project.
Mayor Dan Gibson said the costs submitted Tuesday by Dozer are “within the negotiable range” for a final contract to be hashed out so work can start for correcting the road’s drainage problems.
Construction bids last year were too expensive and had to be rejected. Engineering plans were then revised to reduce costs for the project. Natchez-Adams County has about $4 million in federal, state and local funds to improve the busy thoroughfare that runs from north Natchez into the county by U.S. 61. It’s been a top priority for years to widen a one-mile stretch of Morgantown Road and improve drainage so it won’t flood during heavy rains.
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Natchez aldermen have scheduled a June 18 hearing to consider an appeal by a Franklin Street nightclub that lost its city permit to operate last month amid complaints its patrons were disturbing the peace have asked aldermen to overturn the decision made by the Natchez Planning Commission to rescind the bar’s permit to operate in the city’s business district. The commission enforces city zoning laws determining where businesses are permitted to be located.
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The Board of Aldermen agreed Tuesday to allow reception facilities to be located in areas where they’ve previously been disallowed. This would enable such places as the old Elks Club on Lower Woodville Road to accommodate small gatherings, such as wedding receptions and banquets, if permitted by the Natchez Planning Commission.
While aldermen agreed to revise the city’s development code for such small event venues, the board delayed a decision on whether to allow “cigar lounges” in the downtown area. More consideration will be made of what regulations are needed regarding indoor ventilation and the serving of alcoholic beverages, said Mayor Dan Gibson.
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The mayor and aldermen honored Sabrena Bartley, who’s retiring after 24 years as the city’s director of transit services and senior citizens programs. She will retire Friday as the city’s “most-seasoned, most-experienced department director,” Gibson said.
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