NATCHEZ, Miss. (WJTV) – The City of Natchez is on a major transformation to improve its infrastructure, businesses, community and deal with its past.

For the children in Natchez, they will soon have some much-improved parks to hang out in this summer. The city has made major investments to renovate the city’s six parks.

“There’s new playground equipment here. We had a ribbon cutting several months ago here and at Duncan Park for the new playground equipment, and now we have put in $824,000 into this building,” said Alderwoman Valencia Hall, Ward 1.

The city is investing more than $3 million to improve its parks by building new playgrounds for children and making them ADA-compliant.

A good portion of the money is going toward renovating the youth center at North Natchez Park which has been left vacant for more than 20 years.

“And the youth center here will be used for it while we will have offices for our recreation director and her staff, also a kitchen. People want to rent out the kitchen space for parties or receptions, meeting rooms as well, and they can come in for games,” explained Hall.

One neighbor is grateful the youth center is being brought back to life.

“And to see it come together like this, all the kids playing. It’s just wonderful. I can’t say anything else is beautiful. It’s just… it’s just something that need to been done, and I’m so glad somebody has done it,” expressed Penny Janura, who lives in Natchez.

The North Natchez Park was the park for the Black community, but the city wants it to be used for all citizens. Turning the old Natchez into the new city on the river.

“There are still some people who still want this division. It’s only a minor number of people, but we’re not allowing that to happen. We are one group of people in the City of Natchez where there are Asians, Hispanics, Blacks, whites, multi-racial community, multi-ethnic community, and we need to function as one community. And that’s what this building will be for all citizens,” said Hall.

The city has also renovated restrooms. They’re about to add new tennis courts and restore baseball fields and the golf club house.

The city has applied to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) to have the youth center and the golf club house designated as Mississippi landmarks.