The city of Jackson broke out the oversized scissors for two ribbon-cuttings today. A new pedestrian bridge to connect their walking trail and a new bandshell playground were both officially added to their city park.
Mayor Dwain Hahs says they decided to replace the previous pedestrian bridge about a year ago due to old age. Koehler Engineering designed the new one, which is ADA compliant, making it accessible to those with disabilities. Brockmiller Construction Company also worked on the bridge after receiving the bid for construction. Construction wrapped up in spring of this year.
The new playground near the Jackson Municipal Band Shell came as part of a slew of improvements to the shell, including new roads and electrical connections. The band chose the playground project as their donation to the park, in the hopes that it would occupy children while their parents attended a performance at the bandshell.
Hahs says they try to choose major projects for the city park each year to increase its use.
“It has about 283 acres of parks around town, and we surely get a lot of use out of it, whether it be our sports field for baseball, softball, soccer, football, that we have, or our swimming pool,” says Hahs.
Hahs says in terms of future projects, they are looking at adding a dog park, two more baseball diamonds at Brookside park, and a replacement for the swimming pool.