Mayor Jackson Reflects on 2021 and Looks Forward to 2022. Reelection?

Mayor Jackson discussed a number of projects that were undertaken in 2021 as well as his decision on running for reelection in 2022.

Harrison Mayor Jerry Jackson joined KHOZ’s “Around the Table” program on Tuesday to reflect on the progress made in 2021 and talk about what’s to come in 2022.

The first thing the mayor mentioned was an award the city received from the state earlier in the year for their “6” campaign.  “It was something we worked very hard on,” he said. The campaign, which began in 2020, featured billboards, bumper stickers, and more with the number six on them to remind people to stay six feet apart to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The next big item from the year the mayor mentioned was the special election in March to install a special sales tax to pay for the construction of the Creekside Community Center and other parks projects. Jackson said the failure of the of the election in 2019 was not as disappointing to him as some would think because, “What we learned from that campaign is if we put it in the right spot, at a lower price the community said they would support it,” Jackson said.

The first community center proposal was for $40 million dollars, the second proposal was for $20 million. The proposed location also changed from initially being near the intersection of Gibson Road and Airport Road. In the second proposal the location was moved to the old Harrison Junior High School complex which was deeded from the school district back to the city in 2020.

Jackson also mentioned the ongoing installation of artificial turf at the Equity Bank Sports complex and the coming of a splash pad near Wonder Willa Park which is scheduled to be completed by May of 2022. The Rotary Club of Harrison is spearheading fundraising for the project with a goal of $125,000 of the needed $250,000 to build the splash pad. Spree Hilliard, club president and co-host of “Around the Table,” said that she will soon be able to announce a large donation from a naming sponsor to go toward their goal.

The mayor also reflected on the Crooked Creek Restoration project that would remove the weir from Lake Harrison and return it to a free-flowing creek, which is moving forward. While the city council still has a few items to vote on regarding the project they have given permission to the city’s Chief of Operations, Wade Phillips, to move forward with the project. Jackson said weir removal will probably happen in August of 2022.

Jackson then discussed a frequent problem the parks department is facing with vandalism in the new park bathrooms.

“That’s a big issue right now. We have had, in one week, we had four different vandalisms in the restrooms and to a tune of around $3000,” he said.

What can be done about this situation? Jackson says the parks department is planning on replacing the current stall dividers inside the bathrooms with concrete blocks that will be much harder to vandalize and they will be asking the council for approval of a park curfew. He said Parks Director Chuck Eddington and himself have discussed a curfew of 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

In addition to these items the mayor also thanked Councilman Robert Goulet, who has served on the city council for one year and will be taking a job out of state in January, for his service and his help in acquiring cameras for the Lake Harrison Park. The council has been taking applications for a new member and will be selecting someone to fill his vacant seat in January.

Finally, the mayor was asked if plans to run for a second term in office in 2022 to which he responded that he hadn’t yet decided.

“There’s a lot of projects that we have in the basket right now that are going to be completed in the next four years. Of course, I would love to see all that happen, that doesn’t mean I’m going to run again. We’re going to have to decide, me and my family together,” said the mayor.

For more on what Mayor Jerry Jackson had to say check out his full interview here!