By Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Members of the community gathered to celebrate the unveiling of Yelm’s new fitness pad during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, May 28.
Yelm Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Line Roy and Cody Colt, the city’s public services director, kicked the event off at the Yelm Community Center as they thanked the project sponsors and welcomed several “fitness ambassadors” for the new pad. They included Colt, Dustin Stephan, Erica Cecil and Dalton Sheehan.
A special member of the Tacoma Rainiers was also in attendance as Rhubarb, the mascot for the Mariners Triple-A affiliate, greeted those in attendance at both the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the opening day of the Yelm Farmers Market.
The outdoor fitness pad at Yelm City Park includes several different free-weight stations people can utilize for an array of exercises, including squats, pull-ups and push-ups. The pad also features a shock-absorbent floor and plyometric boxes for different exercises.
Line and the people involved with the construction of the pad and the opening ceremony encouraged residents to get out and get active by using the new fitness pad.
The Yelm City Council budgeted $300,000 for the fitness pad. The pad itself cost nearly $120,000 and the city had to pay roughly $70,000 out of pocket after sponsors covered around $50,000. The city also received a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign.
Yelm was designated an official fitness city by the National Fitness Campaign for their efforts to bring the fitness pad to fruition.
