Preparations for planned upgrades to Jackson's parks system continue as the Board of Aldermen awarded two construction contracts Monday night.

The Hubble Creek Recreation Trail extension and a new playground received the board's green light, while progress on improvements on a high-school softball field also are moving forward.

The $449,804 trail-extension contract, awarded to Lappe Cement Finishing Inc., will connect Jackson City Park with the Jackson Civic Center.

Jackson public works director Rodney Bollinger said the extension should be finished before the end of this year.

A contract for about $23,300 was awarded to All Inclusive Recreation of Farmington, Missouri, for installing new playground equipment in the city park.

"We had several definite play features that we wanted," Jackson Parks and Recreation director Shane Anderson said. "And we found that in this design."

The design includes slides, climbing objects and a swing set. It is expected to be open by the end of July.

A part of the parks system upgrades also will entail the softball field where the Jackson High School girls team plays. The project will upgrade fencing, a windscreen, bleachers, a press box, storage and other field elements.

It will be financed by the city and the Jackson school district.

Anderson said the city has not determined precisely how much its contribution will be, but said the goal is to have it financed in a 50-50 split.

Jackson schools superintendent John Link said the district will contribute $40,000, according to an agreement struck with the seller when the district and city partnered to buy the former Whitey Herzog Stadium last year.

"We made a commitment that our softball team needed a place to call home," Link said.

The Clark family, who sold the land to the district, offered to let the district keep $40,000 of the $250,000 purchase price to put toward a facilities upgrade.

"Our goal is to make our facilities ones that our athletes and faculty can take pride in," Link said. "Parks [and Recreation] has been very courteous to us to allow us to use this field, and it will still be used as part of the Jackson Parks and Recreation activities."

That also means scheduling construction likely will take longer than it would if the field were unused.

"Because girls softball is in the fall, we feel it will be tough to have construction going on when they're playing along with youth programs, so we have to find some time," Link said.

To keep costs down, planners seek to reuse some elements from other fields.

"Our goal at this time is to move the existing press box from our baseball field to the softball field in order to reuse some of the resources we have currently," Link said.

Anderson said the project marks the largest of its kind to date.

"The high school has always come in and made contributions to the fields, but not this large a move," he said. "This is a bigger-scale improvement than there has ever been, to my knowledge."

Link said cooperation has made the entire project possible.

"It's nice to be working together with the city on these projects," he said. "It's important for the folks in Jackson to understand the partnership we have, and that we have the same philosophies and want better for our kids."

tgraef@semissourian.com

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