North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield gave a civics lesson and came under fire for a lack of recreation facilities in the North Ward as he met with city residents Tuesday at the Vicksburg Auditorium to discuss city government and some of the projects planned for the city.

“I thought the program was very informative and well put together,” said Shirley Smith, one of the 35 residents attending the meeting. “It hit on a lot of topics.”

Besides recreation, topics included dilapidated properties, police body cameras and the city’s efforts to help first-time homebuyers.

Recreation occupied the end of the meeting, as Ernest Galloway, one of the organizers of the James “Fuzzy” Johnson baseball league for fatherless and underprivileged children, claimed Mayfield hadn’t done enough for the North Ward.

Passing out copies of two 2008 city invoices for the Aquila Group totaling $30,560 for management services involving some of the city’s baseball and softball leagues at Halls Ferry Park, Galloway questioned whether the payments were legal, and asked Mayfield why the Fuzzy Johnson League organizers did not receive money for the league at Mission 66 Park.

The Aquila Group was formed in 2007 in an effort to build a new sports complex at the Halls Ferry Park. The effort fell through after the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality stopped the project because the park was built on a former city landfill. The city also hired the Florida-based USA Partners Sports Alliance on a refundable $250,000 fee for help with the project. The city has been able to recoup about $8,000 from the company.

Mayfield said Aquila was paid because it was a bona fide management company that performed services for the city.

“Everything was done on the table in front of a (television) camera with the lawyers present and recorded in the (board minutes),” Mayfield said, adding anyone was welcome to go to the City Clerk’s office and check.

He said Galloway’s group did not receive funds because at the time it was not a bona fide organization or company.

“I told you to get a 501(c)3 (classification), then I told you to get an LLC (limited liability company),” Mayfield told Galloway.

Concerning recreation facilities, Mayfield said Mission 66 Park cannot be extended because it was “landlocked.” He said he looked for developable land suitable for recreation in the North Ward. He said the city has money to develop a neighborhood park by the Waltersville Fire Station, and was going to build a tennis court at the Farmer Street neighborhood park.

He also said the city was in the process of improving Sherman Avenue Park, including repairing a serious erosion problem in the area of the park.

Looking at the city’s Fisher Ferry property, Mayfield said it will cost about $2 million to build an access road from the property to U.S. 61 South. The property is presently considered to be the site for the proposed sports complex.

Several residents questioned the city’s demolition of derelict homes, questioning why city officials didn’t allow property owners to fix the homes.

Mayfield explained the process the city follows in dealing with dilapidated properties, adding property owners are given an opportunity to fix their properties, but some stay in bad shape.

“There are some structures that need to come down,” he said. “We have inspectors who ride through the city writing down violations. I also know there are some people who can’t afford to fix their homes.”

He said the city has several pieces of derelict property it needs to contend with, citing the old Mercy Hospital building on Grove Street, the South Street Apartments and Kuhn Memorial Hospital. He said the South Street Apartments have been acquired by Habitat for Humanity, while the city is trying to acquire Kuhn.

“I’ve been trying to get that hospital (Kuhn) down for 20 years,” Mayfield said. He discussed the city’s plans for the property, which includes single family homes, “because I believe when you give a person a conventional house with three bedrooms and two baths and a driveway attached, they develop responsibility, and nine out of 10 times, it’s a good situation.”

Mayfield said since 2014, the city’s first time homebuyers program has spent $3.2 million in down payment assistance and helped 242 people buy a home.

In other topics, Mayfield discussed the body cameras issued to police officers, and explained the difference between the city and county and circuit court systems, explaining the city court does not handle civil cases.

“My plan was to present information on what the city is doing and that we’re not just throwing money away,” Mayfield said. “I think I was able to do that.”