Working together

Jackson's city government and school district have taken a leap forward in working together to get something they both want: a recreation center to make life better for students and residents.

The two entities have been entertaining the idea for months. The high school would like to expand its space and its offerings for students, and the city currently doesn't offer any public indoor recreation or meeting facility.

City and school representatives heard the results of a $24,000 consultant's study this month. The city and school district split the cost.

Residents were mixed on the idea but more positive than many people in the rest of the nation have been on similar telephone surveys. A consultant who delivered the results said 6.1 percent of the 501 households surveyed said they would have a "great deal of interest" in such a community center, compared to the national average of 4.5 percent. An additional 11.6 percent said they had "a lot of interest."

The consultant said the results show there is enough support for the community center. Now it is up to both governmental entities to decide whether they want to put that theory to the test by trying to pay for such a major project.