Five parks across Jackson to be renovated, skate park coming
Five city parks across Jackson are set to begin renovation through a grant provided by the Local Parks and Recreation Fund administered through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Operation.
Upgrades and expanded amenities will focus on ADA-compliant walking trails, parking enhancement, new recreational opportunities to name a few.
The following parks will receive upgrades: Wallace Road Park, Windy City Road Park, Shirlene Mercer Park, Stella Duncan Park, and the Jackson Tennis Complex.
In a public forum held at City Hall on Tuesday, Christi David, Jackson Parks Operations Manager, revealed the individualized improvements each park will undergo.
"With things like Georgia Pacific and Blue Oval, we know we are on the cusp of an explosion in this area, and we want to make sure that we're offering all amenities for our current residents, quality amenities, but we also want to offer things to attract new residents," David said.
The project cost totals $1,680,150, of which the LPRF requires a 50% match by the city. The $840,076 city match was funded by means of American Rescue Plan Act funds, capital funds, and land match.
In her project proposal presentation, David noted that Jackson has approximately 900 acres of designated land for recreation, including 18 parks, two dog parks, eight facilities, and one golf course.
She added that 2020 Census data revealed that the largest population in Jackson fell within the age range of 15-19 years old, emphasizing the need for improved facilities for youth and families.
Per the original request in applying for the grant, 11 parks throughout Jackson were asked to be improved. TDEC approved the five with the greatest need in what David suspects to follow the theme of aiming to increase ADA accessibility.
"These are taxpayer-funded areas, so every taxpayer should have the ability to access these areas," she said.
How will each park be improved and how long will it take?
Wallace Road Park can expect by the spring of 2024 the commencement of a walking trail and parking lot in addition to a groundbreaking for a new skatepark.
The installation of a parking lot, walking trail, and pavilion at Windy Road Park will begin summer of 2024. A playground is expected to be ordered by the winter of 2024 and installed by the spring of 2025.
In late summer of 2024, the trail at Shirlene Mercer Park will begin to be resurfaced. Repairs will also begin at this time at Stella Duncan Park and will be completed by fall, as well as the installation of a pre-fabricated restroom facility will be ordered by winter.
Skatepark comes to fruition
The largest project being addressed is the establishment of a 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art skate park at the Jackson Tennis Complex.
"About 18 to 20 months ago, a group of guys came to us and said 'Hey, we are skateboarders, and we skate at Muse [Park], and we just feel it's really unsafe, and we would like to have to have our own space that's a true, concrete skatepark,'" David said.
Initially, she advised the skateboarders that they would need to come up with $500,000 to fund the skatepark, at which point they began strategizing and making calls in an attempt to bring it to fruition.
"Fortunately when this grant became available, and I knew that we could include the skatepark, it was a no-brainer for me," she said. "These guys have been amazing to work with, and I'm just really happy that we're going to provide this amenity."
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Five city parks are going to renovated beginning in spring of 2024
