OSWEGO – Mayor Billy Barlow announced today the start of construction for an outdoor adult fitness court, with a supporting mobile app, at Breitbeck Park near the Liberty Street loop.
This capital project is a featured part of a 2022 initiative launched by National Fitness Campaign (NFC), a nationwide consulting organization that partners with cities and schools to plan, build, and fund healthy infrastructure. The 1,000 square foot court will include 30 individual pieces of equipment including push rings, pull rings, push ladders, box jumps, lunge steps and more.
The new Fitness Court® at Breitbeck Park will be a free, open to the public, outdoor wellness center that allows users to leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout. Created for adults of all ages in mind, the Fitness Court is adaptable for all fitness levels. New users can also download the free Fitness Court App — a coach-in-your-pocket style platform — that transforms the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness ecosystem.
The Fitness Court App, labeled “Fitness Court,” is available for iOS and Android. National Fitness Campaign developed the trademarked seven-station system in 2012 hoping to inspire municipalities to transform public spaces into community fitness hubs. There are currently 100 active Fitness Court locations across the country, and the Campaign will reach a total of 500 cities and schools by the end of 2022.
“Promoting health and wellness in our community is critically important, now more than ever, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Bringing an outdoor fitness court to Breitbeck Park will provide a free, accessible space to exercise or host group fitness activities and exercise classes for individuals, organizations, and clubs within the community,” Barlow said. “The fitness court adds to the list of projects continuing at Breitbeck Park as we seek to make Breitbeck a true destination spot with something for everyone. While the kids play at the new splash pad or playground, adults can exercise at the new fitness court, walk around the park, or experience the scenic overlooks and seating areas installed a few years ago.”
Late last year, the city of Oswego applied and was awarded a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign to help support the program. The balance of the approximately $150,000 project will be paid for by the American Rescue Plan funding the city received in 2021. The city started construction with the pouring of a concrete pad and will partner with the NFC installers to insert fixtures in the coming days.
The park is scheduled to open later this month.
ABOUT NFC:
National Fitness Campaign (NFC) is a social enterprise – founded in San Francisco, California in 1979 – that specializes in funding, activating, and promoting healthy infrastructure through partnerships with cities and schools. Now operating in over 150 cities, NFC’s unique program delivers consulting services and an integrated wellness initiative to communities, centered on the world’s best outdoor gym: The Fitness Court®. Our mission is to design healthy infrastructure for cities to improve the quality of life for people. Learn more about NFC at NationalFitnessCampaign.com and follow us on social @NatFitCampaign.
