Fix recreation commission before adding more – Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper

Natchez and Adams County have begun discussions of repairing a broken recreation commission. The Natchez-Adams

Natchez and Adams County have begun discussions of repairing a broken recreation commission.

The Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission’s nine members are appointed, three each, by the Adams County Board of Supervisors, the Natchez Board of Aldermen and the Natchez Adams School District.

Under the volunteer commission, business was not being conducted properly. Volunteer members failed to show up for meetings; sometimes the commission would go for months without obtaining a quorum.

Such was the case when the YMCA was not paid for several months for managing the community swimming pool and eventually quit due to the lack of payment.

For years, Natchez and Adams County citizens have wanted improved recreation facilities and even a sports complex capable of hosting regional sporting events.

Clearly that would not be possible with an appointed all-volunteer board.

Granted, several volunteers have served selflessly and done a good job to keep the recreation facilities going to this point but going without a quorum for so many months that payments are not being made is not acceptable.

We hope the city and county will come up with a successful way to manage the recreation facilities in both Natchez and Adams County before they invest in building a proposed Health and Wellness facility much less a sports complex.

Let’s start by successfully managing what we already have — ball fields, tennis courts and especially the community swimming pool — before we invest in more facilities that will need proper management.

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