The City of Jackson is announcing the closure of its Nixon Park recreation facilities for the Summer 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns and budgetary restrictions. The Nixon Park facilities, which includes a swimming pool and skate board park, was scheduled to open June 15.
The Parks and Recreation Department recently decided to not open these facilities for the season due to public health concerns in the pool facility and overall budget restrictions. The City of Jackson is planning for a loss of tax revenue related to the COVID-19 crisis. The skate park is closing for safety reasons, since it is only allowed to operate if staff are on site at the pool facility.
Kelli Hoover, the director of the Parks and Recreation Department, says this is not a permanent closure of these facilities. “The pool and skate park will reopen when COVID-19 concerns are reduced and funds are available to operate them. We are still waiting on direction from State government about when it’s appropriate to re-open other recreation facilities, such as playgrounds, picnic shelters, and community centers,” Hoover said.
The open areas of City parks and trails have remained open during the pandemic. The Ella Sharp Park Golf Course reopened in late April after being closed for several weeks. Questions about the cancellation of programs at the Nixon Park facility should be directed to Andrew Sargeant using the email asargeant@ cityofjackson.org
