Mishawaka's National Fitness Campaign's Fitness Court was recently visited by a group from Logansport. After a year of planning, construction on a court like this will begin locally at Riverside Park in late summer or early fall in 2021. Photo provided
They’re in it together to provide a benefit to the community.
That’s why after months of waiting and hoping, everything seems to be coming together nicely for the Logansport Parks & Recreation Department’s Riverside Park project.
The department has entered into a formal partnership with Logansport Memorial Hospital and its foundation to provide the National Fitness Campaign’s outdoor Fitness Court at the park. And on Monday, the Logansport City Council passed an ordinance on its first reading for earmarking $40,000 of County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) funds to the project. The hospital and foundation will provide an annual lump sum of $10,000 in March over the next four years that will be used to repay the monies.
The purpose of the advancement is to allow the Parks Department to jump on the opportunity to bring the fitness court here instead of waiting until all dollars could be collected.
Construction of the court is slated to begin late summer or early fall of this year. The court features an outdoor bodyweight circuit training center with function fitness DNA, according to Jan Fawley, administrator of the Parks Department. The fitness court provides a full-body workout for adults of all ability levels and has an app that people can use to track their fitness goals. The app can be downloaded for free on Apple and Android devices.
“The NFC Fitness Court is another free, healthy recreational asset that we anticipate will be utilized in a variety of ways for years to come,” Fawley said in a news release. “We are so grateful that the Logansport Memorial Hospital Foundation and Logansport Memorial Hospital were willing to partner with us on such an exciting project for our community. We are always looking to work with other community organizations that believe in our vision of improving the health and quality of life for our Cass County residents through parks and recreation offerings.”
Fawley further said that the court will provide the community with opportunities to host events, competitions, and physical training activities.
Logansport Memorial Hospital Foundation Board President Scott Kraud said that “The addition of this NFC Fitness Court to our existing parks system will provide an innovative new resource for physical activity and recreation in our community. When we decided to pledge the hospital Foundation’s financial support to this project, we believed that this Fitness Court may also attract individuals and families from other neighboring communities because of its unique offering and strategically placed location at Riverside Park.”
“By investing in state-of-the-art outdoor fitness opportunities like the NFC Fitness Court, and working together with community partners like the Logansport Parks and Recreation Department, we will build a healthier and more active community,” said LMH President and CEO Perry Gay. “This aligns well with our hospital goals of ‘Building Better Health’ for the patients and residents of all ages that we serve across Logansport, Cass County, and the north-central Indiana region.”
The fitness court will be installed in conjunction with other Riverside Park enhancements, including two basketball courts and two pickleball courts. Additional parking, sidewalks, and a renovation of McHale Complex’s exterior family restroom also are part of the project.
Additional funding is being provided through a $250,000 Land & Water Conservation Fund grant, $125,000 from Logansport CEDIT funds, and $125,000 from Logansport Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Funds.
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