JACKSON, Mich. — A new park has been named in a Jackson neighborhood.
At their Tuesday, May 26 meeting, city council voted to create a new park to honor workers killed on the job and COVID-19 responders, the city said.
The park, located on South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between East Biddle and East Mason streets, is named Workers Memorial Park.
“The name also supports frontline workers who are currently putting their lives at risk due to environmental hazards caused by COVID-19,” Mayor Derek Dobies said.
The city said the park utilizes two existing spaces surrounding the former McCulloch Elementary School, which closed back in 2017 and has been repurposed into a mental health agency, Segue Inc.
Segue's playground, located on MLK drive, and the open green space along Cooper Street is no longer needed by the mental health agency, so it was donated to the city to use for the park, the City of Jackson said.
Playground equipment and basketball courts are already in place on the MLK side of the property and there's open green space that is yet to be developed, which has access to the city's main pedestrian trail, MLK Equality Trail.
“This park will be a community collaboration. Local labor organizations are interested in helping with the development of the new park and Jackson businesses have also expressed interest in honoring their workforce at the park," Mayor Dobies said.
The city said although the space has been officially declared a park, city council has not yet approved any funding for any largescale park improvements.
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