The vote was unanimous when the Jackson City Council considered a contract for the construction of Bemis Park, which will be located where Bemis Mill once stood at the corner of South Missouri and A Streets.

“It has been a two-year struggle; actually six, but the park will be located right in the center of Bemis,” said Vicky Foote, following the City Council’s monthly meeting, Tuesday. “All the sidewalks in Bemis led to the mill, and all the sidewalks in Bemis will now lead to the park.”

Vicky Foote, who represents District 1, said it has been six years since the property sold.

“It has been an eyesore,” Foote said. “The unanimous vote today showed how one vote can right the wrong of six years.”

A budget for the new Bemis Park was set at $400,000 for the park, with the John Herron Construction Company of Jackson, submitting the lowest bid at $292,061.

“We’re ready to start, and in the next two or three weeks we’ll be doing some work,” said Jerry Gist, mayor of Jackson. “We’re really going to put a park together the people of Bemis will be proud of because they deserve it, and because they have been extremely patient.”

The majority of the materials will come from the original Bemis Mill, that was first constructed in 1900, but has been vacant since 1993.

An estimated 30,000 of the original bricks will be used to construct two 20-foot towers with a 10-foot wall that will display the history of the Bemis Mill.

“The benches in the park will be made from the original wood,” Vicky Foote said. “The columns will denote the entrance of the park, and there will be a splash pad … basically, it won’t be like any other park we have here.”

(PHOTO: Work is scheduled to begin before the end of the month on the new Bemis Park)

David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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