Once again Rotarians in Williams Lake are working to better the community, this time with a new seniors fitness park.
Dave Dickson, past president of the Rotary Club of Williams Lake, shared information about the project during the committee of the whole meeting Tuesday, Jan. 10.
The plan is to install various pieces of equipment in a grassy portion of Kiwanis Park for seniors and all members of the community to use for strengthening, cardio and endurance training.
“We’ve seen a number of these parks in other places around the province,” Dickson said. “Health is important and many of our residents in the city are up in years and they like to get out and exercise and this would be a nice natural place to have it.”
Rotary has talked with the Seniors Activity Centre, which is located near the park, and the city’s accessibility advisory committee and both are keen about the project, Dickson added.
So far Rotary has committed $10,000 to the project with another matching grant from Rotary and Dickson said the club will be applying to the Northern Development Initiative Trust for grant funding.
“Our goal and the condition for getting the grant from Rotary is we have to have our project completed by June 1, so we will be moving forward quickly to get it done,” he said.
At the COW meeting council unanimously supported the project in principle, with a recommendation it be taken to the Cariboo Regional District to garner support there as well.
Installation of the equipment will cause little to no disruption to the soil and the pieces sit on a cement pad.
“Hopefully we will have something our community can be very proud of,” Dickson said.
Coun. Jazmyn Lyons voiced excitement about the project, saying there a similar park in Kelowna that was heavily used when she lived there.
“It was packed all the time with seniors, kids and teens - it was never not in use,” she said. “People from other cities have asked we didn’t have one.”
Lyons said the park is the type that has a lot of benefit with a small footprint.
“The pieces are small, you use your own body weight, etc.”
Mayor Surinderpal Rathor said he looked forward to the ribbon-cutting and loved the idea of grandparents and grandchildren playing together at the park, which already hosts a water spray park, a playground, as well as tennis and pickle ball courts.
In October the city’s other Rotary club - Williams Lake Daybreak Rotary - officially opened a new bouldering park in Boitanio Park.
READ MORE: Williams Lake Bouldering Park officially opens
READ MORE: New Boitanio Park lamps shed light on the importance of utilizing the park
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