Monthly Archives: June 2022

(June 23, 2022 9:36 AM) After a three year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson residents will once again be able to make a splash at a popular community pool. The City of Jackson Parks and Recreation Department is planning to reopen the Nixon Water Park to residents on Monday, June 27 for the summer season. The water park was closed for the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the pandemic. Along with public health concerns, it would have been difficult to open the water park due to mechanical issues and staffing shortages. The City is now partnering with the Jackson YMCA to make sure the pool is fully staffed with lifeguards. While work has been ongoing since this spring to reopen the pool, mechanical and supply delays prevented the facility from reopening earlier this month. Parks and Recreation Department Director Kelli Hoover says her staff is working hard to get the pool in shape. “This will be a welcome return for the entire community. We’re looking forward to providing summer fun once again at the Nixon Water Park,” Hoover said. The Nixon Water Park is located inside Nixon Park at 400 E. North St. It contains a water…

(June 23, 2022 9:28 AM) Construction season is in full swing in the City of Jackson, with a packed schedule of street repairs, water main work, and bridge replacements. However, some drivers are putting construction workers and other drivers in danger by ignoring road closed signs in construction zones. The City of Jackson Engineering Division says a particular area of concern is the intersection of W. Prospect and Fourth streets, where a new traffic signal is being installed. Earlier this week, witnesses at the intersection reported a driver going around road closed signs and driving directly into oncoming traffic. So far, there have only been close calls this year in construction zones, but the City is becoming increasingly concerned about work zone safety. City Engineer Jon Dowling says a few brazen drivers almost plunged into the Grand River due to their practice of overlooking closure signs. “On E. High Street, several drivers ignored road closed signs and nearly drove into the river because the bridge they expected to be there was being replaced,” Dowling said. Elmer Hitt, Director of Police and Fire Services, urges drivers to be cautious around construction work zones. “Our officers are stepping up enforcement in these…

The newly restored statue, “Abraham Lincoln:  The Man” at the Jackson District Library Carnegie Branch.  Photos by Jeff Steers, JTV News. (June 22, 2022 4:23 PM) A statue of President Abraham Lincoln and the wood base it rests on was recently restored and relocated to the front lobby of the Carnegie Library in downtown Jackson. Jackson District Library officials worked with  B&C Woodworks of Rives Junction to restore the walnut plinth that holds the statue - a 39-inch tall bronze casting that traces its roots to Chicago, New York, and Jackson at the turn of the 20th Century. "We always loved this work of art at the library, and after a recent report on its provenance was completed, we thought restoring this piece and moving it to a more prominent location was appropriate," JDL Director Sara Tackett said. The statuette is a copy of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' colossal monument to Lincoln titled "Abraham Lincoln: The Man," a 12-foot statue dedicated in Chicago's Lincoln Park in 1887. Likely cast by Tiffany Studios in New York, the statuette was created posthumously by Saint-Gaudens' widow, Augusta. The Metropolitan Museum of Art owns an earlier casting of the statuette, although no one knows for certain…