York, South Carolina (queen city news) – York Recreation Complex already has everything you could possibly need, from softball fields and baseball fields to playgrounds and walking trails. But city officials felt they were missing something else, a place to really burn off those calories.
The city announced a $30,000 grant to add new equipment aimed at giving people another way to stay active at no cost.
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So they partnered with a national fitness campaign to install a fitness court at York Recreation Complex as part of the 2023 Healthy Cities Campaign.
City Parks and Recreation Director Chris White said leaders were given a $30,000 grant to add the facility.
“It’s an outdoor fitness court. It’s a platform. It has seven transfer stations. It’s basically a lot of weight transfer, so there’s not a lot of free weights. It’s easy to maintain, so anyone can go to Planet Fitness or the YMCA. You may not be able to get a gym membership, so it’s something for the community to come out to,” White told Queen City News in a phone interview.
The fitness court is listed as being at least 2,000 square feet in size and will be located near the boardwalk for easy access. This is the first facility of its kind in the city and the second in the state.
The first is Aiken, South Carolina.
For Matthew Bledsoe, this is what he was looking for.
“I always want to go do something. But, you know, with kids in tow, I’m trying to find time to go, like Planet Fitness or 24 Hour Fitness or something like that, plus memberships. Well, we’ve got some, we’ve got sports and ball and all that jazz. So we’ll be able to go somewhere and do things like that,” Bledsoe said.
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Officials said the project was part of the city’s health and wellness strategic plan. It is expected to cost about $150,000.
“We won a $30,000 grant. So we’ll use the rest for impact. These are sponsorships, that’s who we are. We participate in fitness courses and contribute and put our name We will be releasing sponsorships for anyone who wants to feature,” White said.
As York grows rapidly, he says people will look for things to do in terms of health and wellness.
Construction is expected to begin at the end of the year. There are no plans for completion at this time.