OSWEGO – Mayor Billy Barlow held a ribbon cutting event this afternoon celebrating the grand opening of the new adult outdoor fitness court at Breitbeck Park.
The $150,000 capital project, funded through the city’s American Rescue Plan Funding allocation, 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 court also features a large “I <3 Oswego” mural on the back side of the court to greet pedestrians walking along Harbor Trail and boaters traveling to Oswego by water.
“I’m so pleased today to open the new outdoor fitness court at Breitbeck Park as we continue to add free, public amenities and attractions to our waterfront area,” Barlow said. “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.”
The Fitness Court is 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, entitled “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.
The Oswego Department of Public Works performed the site preparation work by grading the area along Liberty Loop and pouring the concrete pad, along with surrounding landscaping and improvements. The court installation was performed by an assigned contractor through the National Fitness Campaign.
In addition to funding used from the ARPA funds, the city secured a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign to reduce the cost of the project.
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