JACKSON, Mich. — Out with the old and in with the new. If you are interested in using the dozens of Jackson’s parks and trails, the city is trying to make it more interactive.
It replaced an old PDF file that was outdated by at least 10 years, according to the city. With 28 public parks and four pedestrian trails, the city wanted a good, visual way to direct people to those locations, so they created an interactive map.
“Through the pandemic, we learned that access to safe outdoor recreation and exercise was really vital to the health of the community, so we’re hoping this will continue to do that and increase access for people to get outside and use our parks and trails,” the city's Public Information Officer Aaron Dimick said.
This is how it works. You select a park or trail on the map, which takes users to the profile for that location including an address, photos and a description of what’s available there functioning like a Google map but more interactive.
“Our biggest park is Ella Sharp Park, so if I want to learn more about that, I will click on the name. A box comes up, tap on it and it gives some information, lists all the amenities and what you can do there, and if you want more information, you click on a link on the map with the name of the park, which takes you to another page and tells you everything you need to know,” Dimick said. “We have a slideshow, so you can see photos and everything. It also gives links to our various things, in this case Ella Sharp Park, like the mini golf course, the Ella Sharp Park trail and then shows you all the attractions there and even a little history about the park.”
Dimick says he’s hopeful that this will create more engagement between the city and the community.
“We’re really hoping this will be a catalyst for people to get out and experience parks within the city both big and small, ranging from a quarter acre to hundreds of acres at Ella Sharp Park,” he said. “We’re hoping this will get people out exploring our parks.”
For a link to the interactive map, click here.
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