Brent Kaempfe works out on the two-person chest press on a crisp autumn morning.
It was the Osawatomie resident’s first opportunity to use the outdoor fitness park just north of the Osawatomie Pool. With the pool’s waterslide in the background, Kaempfe surveyed the 12 units of exercise equipment and liked what he saw.
“This is great for the community,” Kaempfe said. “A lot of people use the track [at Lynn Dickey Stadium, across the parking lot] and now they can come over here and use this equipment.” The 12 Greenfields outdoor exercise machines – some of which can accommodate more than one person at a time – include items like a two-person ski, four-person lower body combo, a cross-country ski, a rowing machine, a sit-up bench, four-person leg press and others.
The park will provide the public with free access to outdoor workout equipment that can be used around the clock.
“It’s 24/7, and it’s free for anybody to use,” Osawatomie Superintendent Gary French said. “It will have lights and security cameras. It will be fine this fall but in the springtime we plan to add some shade protection.”
This spring, the Osawatomie Rotary Club, along with the Osawatomie school district, were awarded $40,000 from the Baehr Foundation and Hawkins Foundation, as well as an additional $30,000 over the next three years from Olathe Health Miami County Medical Center to assist in the development of the fitness park.
Others have made smaller donations, bringing the total raised to $83,000, French said. The equipment, valued at $55,000, was purchased for $36,000, and that $19,000 savings is counted as part of the donations, he said.
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)