In celebration of National Public Works Week, the city of Jackson will kick off an eight-week walking challenge next week.
The brainchild of public works director Kent Peetz, the Walk Jackson Challenge 2019 is not only aimed at promoting the week, but at encouraging residents to contact the department about any issues they may come across while out and about the city.
“We’re asking people to look out for street signs that might be missing or bent, streetlights that are not burning at night, or burning during the day when they shouldn't be. Things like water running down the street where there might be a water main break. That sort of thing,” says Peetz.
He says an added bonus is that the challenge will educate residents about their individual wards.
“The original idea was to have people walk 133 miles - equivalent to the miles and streets in city of Jackson. But we thought that may be quite a few miles for some folks to walk,” says Peetz. “So we broke it down by ward.”
Here are the rules: You must be a citizen of Jackson, and if you walk the equivalent of the smallest ward - 25 miles - you’ll receive a certificate of completion. You can accumulate miles until July 17, the week before Jackson Homecomers.
Peetz says to make it a bit more interesting, city staff will be hiding red rocks in each ward throughout the eight weeks of the event, which observant walkers can turn in to Public Works for prizes like swimming passes.
Winners will be announced at a special ceremony during Homecomers, including the grand prize winner, who will receive a two-hour party at the public swimming pool.
Walking challenge t-shirts will also be available, and those who register during the first week get a choice in the shirt size.
Online registration opens May 20, and residents can also register at Jackson City Hall. For more information and official rules, visit www.jacksonmo.org or call (573) 243-2300.