- The iconic Cascades — Jackson's lighted falls and fountains need major concrete work and a new pump.
- Built in the 1930s, many parts of the Cascades are now crumbling.
- Fundraising has already begun, with $1.5 million secured towards the $3.5 million goal of preserving the Falls.
- Video shows Jackson County Parks Director Kyle Lewis explaining their condition and the plan to preserve them, and an out of town visitor.
- WATCH THE EXTRA VIDEO AT THE END, WITH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN DONE AND STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
"We've got some concrete that is almost 100 years old, so, you know — lot of steps, lot of railings, lot of the floors to each of the pools."
— Kyle Lewis, Director, Jackson County Parks
Jackson's Cascades are in need of repairs.
Kyle Lewis, Director of Jackson County Parks, showed me what needs to be done, how much it will cost, and how that money will hopefully be raised.
We're at Summer's end…and the Falls are now still at Jackson's iconic Cascades.
As Lewis takes stock…and plans for the future.
"Lot of it's original," he notes of the concrete work. "We've done our best to maintain it. It's just — it's almost a hundred years old. So, it's time to make it right for the next hundred years."
Routine repairs have been ongoing — Lewis and his staff see to that:
"They're not just great at maintenance, they're also very passionate about being the caretakers of it, so I think that goes a long way…"
But at this point, the Cascades are crumbling.
Lewis says there are leaking pools and archaic pumps. All in all — about $3.5 million worth of work is needed.
Fundraising to pay for part of that is underway. An anonymous donor already gave a million dollars. A parks millage will cover another half million dollars. That leaves $2 million left to raise.
A strong start that has Lewis hopeful.
"You know, we've had some campaigns in the past, and I think Jackson's always been a generous community for important projects," he says.
Important as a unique Jackson icon that keeps visitors coming…from near and far.
Lansing resident Heather Messenger like the park here so much, she comes here from Lansing: "I think it's worth investing, I think we'll draw a bigger crowd, especially on the Fourth of July."
"This is truly a special thing to Jackson," says Lewis. "It's a special thing to the region, really….and I think it really has put Jackson on the map, and it continues to stay on the map. It's enjoyed not just by locals, but people come from all over the place to visit the Cascades."
Donations can be made to the Cascades Fund at the Jackson Community Foundation, or directly to Jackson County Parks.
EXTRA VIDEO FROM OUR MORNING SHOW:
(The following is a transcription of the broadcast story)
Jackson's iconic Cascades are crumbling.
Kyle Lewis, Director of Jackson County Parks, showed me what needs to be done, how much it will cost, and how that money will hopefully be raised.
Lewis says this is not the first time the Falls have needed repairs:
"We've done some renovations, I would say, since…over the last eight to ten years or so. We've kind of chipped away at some renovations, replacing all the electrical — has been replaced."
"As of…we've still got a little bit more to do this fall, but we've got some funding in place for. We've done some of the fountain pumps since 2017, I think is when those were replaced."
But the last major renovation was in the 1960s.
"We've chipped away at what we could, but we're left with kind of the Big Kahuna, which is the concrete."
With an anonymous $1 million gift and another half million from the parks millage, Lewis says almost half of the money to pay for repairs has been raised. He's hopeful that the rest will come from local foundations and neighbors:
"We can see the finish line in sight and we're excited to kind of kick off this campaign and really get this back for more decades to come."
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