The Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s decision to let the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau out of its lease at the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Depot is a move many will initially question, and with some good reason.

First, the move will cost the city $116,250 to pay back. That’s the amount of unused rent the VCVB paid when it signed its 20-year lease in 2012, and paid the total amount of rent, $150,000, up front. At the time, it seemed like a wise thing to do. By paying the money upfront, the VCVB provided much needed assistance for the city, which had to provide matching funds for a $1.65 million Mississippi Department of Transportation grant to renovate the building.

The city at this point doesn’t have $116,250 available to cover the difference, and could, at least for the remainder of this fiscal year, be paying it off on installments of $2,500 a month, something that was not included in the present budget.

And while officials with VCVB are negotiating a lease with the owners of the former Crosstek building at 1619 Walnut St., it is not a done deal; it must be approved by the VCVB’s Board of Directors. The rent on the new building is still an unknown.

The reasons for wanting to leave the depot are compelling. The building’s elevator is inoperable, the problems of relocating when high water threatens the depot, and the desire of officials with the Old Depot Museum to expand to the remainder of the second floor.

Museum director and curator Dave Benway said he wants to relocate the museum’s collection of ship and boat models, pictures, have special “Mississippi” and “Vicksburg” rooms, and two offices on the second floor. A portion of the museum already occupies the southern end of the second floor, and there is no doubt the museum’s exhibits are increasing and requiring more room.

It remains to be seen just how well this move will turn out for the VCVB and the museum, and one has to wonder if officials with the VCVB may be jumping the gun. While it is obvious the visitors bureau needs a permanent home, is the building at 1619 Walnut the best place? A tourism bureau needs to be accessible to the public, and nearby parking is very limited. The closest parking lot is the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library, and the other alternative is limited parking on the street.

There’s no doubt a larger Depot Museum will attract more people, but how soon will that happen?

But the bigger question is how will the public benefit from this move.

The VCVB gets some money, the museum gets some added space, and the city will be out $116,250. The benefit to the public at this point in time is zilch. And it could be sometime before that changes.