Exercise equipment designed for children is being installed along the Barren Fork Greenway.
Five pieces are being placed by McMinnville employees and made possible by a grant obtained by Friends of the Greenway from the Steven and Kate Smith Community Trust.
“I wanted to put four of the five pieces along the greenway stretch starting at Riverfront Park,” said Friends of the Greenway president Trevor Galligan. “But due to the difficulty of getting a truck to haul cement down the greenway, we ended up just doing three small pieces along that stretch, and then they continue at Pepper Branch Park along the walking path.”
Beginning at Riverfront Park and prior to Frank G. Clement Bridge, there is a set of spring balance beams, a push-up bar, and a bench for sit-ups. On the Pepper Branch Park side, there will be uneven bars that can be used to do chin-ups and other arm strengthening exercises and a chest press/ lat pull down machine.
Each piece of equipment will eventually have a sign with instructions on how to use it.
“Although I originally thought of having suggested reps by age group, I was advised by those with much more knowledge than myself to simply leave it open and encourage them to do as many as each kid can,” said Galligan.
The grant obtained by the group was also used to purchase a climbing boulder for children, which was placed at Pepper Branch Park, as well as two larger pieces of exercise equipment, an Integrated Fitness System and Sky Climber that will be installed at Rocket Park to replace some aged equipment there.
The Steven and Kate Smith Community Trust was created in 2012. The Smiths wished “to enhance the quality of life of the children in Warren County.” Grants are distributed annually to nonprofits.