Sandy Roberts of the fire department and others try out the new fitness court during the opening Thursday.
Now it’s up to neighborhood residents — and anyone else interested — to start using the fitness court that’s been installed at Burkhart Park in Albany.
About a hundred people showed up for the court’s official opening Thursday afternoon.
Albany Parks and Recreation Director Kim Lyddane opened the ceremony. Representatives of Sam Fit, the gyms run by Samaritan Health Services, demonstrated the seven movements the court encourages. Police and fire department employees staged a competition using the devices.
The open-air gym features seven types of permanently installed pieces of exercise equipment or designs, from blocks of different heights and paint markings on the floor to pull-up bars and rings mounted on a wall on one side of the rectangular court.
Instructions, too, are mounted on the wall.
The city council approved the project in June, buying the equipment and designs for $125,000. Speakers at the opening talked about the importance of fitness in people’s lives.
The hope is that the equipment, readily available free of charge, will encourage Albany residents to work on their physical fitness when they have the inclination or the time.
For more background on the fitness court and the company that developed it, look for National Fitness Campaign on Google. For previous stories on the Albany project, search for “fitness court” on this site. (hh)
Cameras are poised to get the shot as city officials and the Beaver mascot get ready to open the fitness court.
Graphics on the side of the court’s wall explain the seven movements for which the court is designed.
What a great idea. 7 movements in 7 minutes. And that’s a nice price for all that equipment. Well done City of Albany!
This was really a wonderful idea. I saw one of these when I was in New Orleans. It gives folks the opportunity to work out when they can’t afford a gym membership.
According to your second picture, they’re going to have “staff” on hand? I doubt you’ll ever see that many people there again.
What’s your point? This was an occasion, and anyone can wear a shirt that says “staff” on the back. The place obviously will not be “staffed.” So again, what if any point were you trying to make?
Just that Bill hates anything that government does.
You are totally wrong again. I just hate the govt. wasting money on stupidity. If you need exercise, go pound nails for Habitat for Humanity or similar.
Habitat for Humanity is not exercise. That’s helping reconstruct people’s broken lives.
There’s room for both that and exercise equipment in a park, Bill.
Lighten up.
The point is this is so staged to the point it’s bogus. Remove all the people that were being paid with taxpayer money in any form and there would be a lot less. How much did the mascot cost?
Thankfully, your “positive” attitude doesn’t prevail in Albany…
Truth hurts doesn’t it? How about your attitude of trying to extract money from the citizens of Albany by any means possible to waste on a dying downtown. How much of your SALES TAX (aka franchise fee) is hidden in our various utility bills? Isn’t 5% hidden in our electric bill under “other charges” in addition to what is actually shown? How much in our water/sewer bills that isn’t shown? And when are you going to explain how a “franchise fee” isn’t a SALES TAX when it’s based on usage?
Yesterday the Albany Police Department had a short video on their Facebook page showing a friendly competition they had with the Albany Fire Department at the new fitness court
https://fb.watch/g9hInOXfaJ/
Great idea!! Money WELL spent. A sedentary lifestyle equates to a poor quality of life and invites diseases that can be prevented, or minimized, with exercise.
Get off your duff and move your stuff