KALAMAZOO, MI — The city of Kalamazoo is bringing an outdoor workout pad to the Edison neighborhood that will be free for the public to use.

Fitness Court is the name of the outdoor workout area developed by National Fitness Campaign (NFC). The group is working to install the outdoor workout areas throughout the country in an effort to reduce obesity.

The Fitness Court will be located at the northwest end of Upjohn Park. The pad is designed to provide a total-body workout for users. It is supported by classes and an online app (phone based) to support use, the city said.

The Kalamazoo City Commission recently accepted a $50,000 grant to support the project.

The grant will be combined with $92,350 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to support the installation of a Fitness Court to support the health and recreation needs of residents in the Edison Neighborhood and across the city, a recommendation to the city commission states.

A portion of the cost is sponsored by Priority Health, which will have its logo on the pad, the city said.

“We’re excited to bring our campaign to make world-class fitness free to the city of Kalamazoo,” Mitch Menaged, founder of National Fitness Campaign, told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. “Together with the city and Priority Health, NFC is happy to be part of a wellness network growing across the nation.”

The city said the installation of the fitness pad aligns with Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 goals and goals for increased recreation and amenities in the Edison Neighborhood Plan.

Construction and launch of the outdoor Fitness Court will occur by the end of the 2022 calendar year, according to city documents. The location is less than a half mile from the newly rebuilt Kalamazoo Farmers Market site and near the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.

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