City of Jackson Officials Celebrate Loomis Park Improvements

City of Jackson officials celebrate improvements to Loomis Park Friday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

By Jeff Steers
JTV News

(June 9. 2023 8:07 PM ET) A year-long project on the northeast side of Jackson came to fruition Friday as City of Jackson officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Loomis Park commemorating its year-long project. 

Construction wrapped up at the new Loomis Park playground in late May. 

The project reshaped the north side of the park, providing a new landscape, playground, walking path, exercise equipment, pavilion, and entrance to the Boos Recreation Center. 

Loomis Park is located at 210 Gilbert Street in Jackson. 

The City Council allocated $1 million in federal funds to this substantial investment for Jackson’s east side. The new playground is a modern, open playscape with durable materials that’s accessible to people with disabilities. 

The former wood playground structure required constant maintenance and was becoming unsafe to use. The new landscape improves safety by adding more lighting and increasing visibility. 

R.W. Mercer headed the project for the City of Jackson. 

These improvements are in addition to the new walking path, basketball court and sledding hill installed at Loomis Park in recent years. 

“These updates improve the quality of life for everyone in the community and help make Jackson a more attractive place to live,” said Parks and Recreation Director Kelli Hoover. “With the outside of the building refreshed, construction will now focus on the interior of the Boos Recreation Center so it can continue to be a community gathering place for decades to come.” 

Hoover noted that the city plans to expand the Boos Center in the near future with additional rooms and added security for the park.