Jackson parks projects are up and running

Jackson�s parks projects are in full swing this spring, including plans for new ballfields at Brookside Park, said parks and recreation director Shane Anderson.

New ballfields are in development at Brookside Park, Anderson said, to expand upon the two fields already there.

�We�re talking about ballfield layout and sizes right now,� he said.

A new parking lot and access road will be installed this summer at Brookside, Anderson said.

The Brookside improvements were one of several projects discussed at a recent board of aldermen meeting.

Anderson also updated the board on two donation-driven, planned projects: artificial turf at the soccer park and upgrades to the dugouts at field 5.

The soccer park already has the artificial turf, Anderson said, but needs an installation plan.

And the dugouts at field 5, just to the south of the pool, are now wire and will eventually be rebuilt with block, Anderson said.

�That�s still in the planning phase,� he added.

When the park board meets Monday, Anderson said, they�ll discuss whether to shorten the hours at the public pool.

The hours at other pools end at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m., Anderson said, so it makes sense from a cost-savings perspective.

In other park-related news, Park Day was a big success, Anderson said, with 75 volunteers working on projects � some of which hadn�t been completed for several years, because of rain.

�It was a sunny day, no rain,� Anderson said, which he called a �mini miracle� since the standing joke was, if a plant needs watering, set it out on Park Day, since it was a near guarantee there would be rain.

But this year, Anderson said, wooden bleachers at the Armory and at Legion baseball field were painted.

Anderson said metal bleachers would require less maintenance, but the cost is prohibitive: between $5,000 and $10,000 per set, he said.

�They�re serving their purpose right now,� Anderson said.

Anderson said the annual Independence Day celebration to be held July 4 in City Park will have a big fireworks display: 30 minutes in duration, for a total cost of $12,000.

The city matches up to $6,000 in funds, and the planning committee raised it, Anderson said. The vendor has been secured, he added.

Hubble Creek�s new pedestrian bridge had well more than 100 visitors last weekend, Anderson said, and was the backdrop for many prom photos.

�It�s going very well,� Anderson said of the new bridge, which opened at the end of April. �We�re very pleased.�

Finally, the city park restroom project should break ground at the beginning of June, he said.

�The prefabricated building is being built right now,� Anderson said. �We hope to have it installed and open to the public by the end of July.�

Added Anderson, �We�ve needed more bathrooms. This will be good.�

In January, the board of aldermen accepted a bid of just under $300,000 from Brockmiller Construction Inc. of Farmington, Missouri. This bid, the lowest and best received by the board, includes site preparation, sewer work, fixtures and a concrete prefabricated building.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630