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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1980-02-14, Page 30Pose ion Few projects in recent years have caught fire quite like the Kinsmen involvement in "Par- - ticiparks". Across the country, dozens of these fitness parks have been springing up on land adjoining rivers, existing rec reational activities an in unu- sed parkland. Behind the effort stand the Kinsmen working hand in hand with Participaction, the feder- al fitness campaign group. Participactign supplies the ----know-how3and-Kinsmen-across. the country find appropriate land, raise the required funds and in most cases, get their exercise early by hoisting shovels, saws, hammers and wheelbarrows. FOR THE FAMILY When they finish, their com- munity is left with a fitness trail designed for family use, usually on a year-round basis. The first participark showed up in British. Columbia when the Port Coquitlam Kinsmen clbu led the bandwagon. Two years later, the Kinsmen Club of Foothills City, Calgary, opened No. 5Q, At that stage, the.national Kinsmen club led the bandwagon. Two years later, the Kinsmen Club of Foothills City, Calgary, op- ened No. 50. At that stage, the national Kinsmen club estima- • paction, says it's the Kinsmen- Participavtion name for a fitness trail popular in Europe and normally known as a "vita parcours". - Kinsmen got together with Participaction a little over three years ago on the project and Participaction came up with the design for a' fitness trail wiurir'specific exercise stations. ,) "We designed Participark and wrote up the constrtfction guide which is provided to any —Kinsrnen=•-Glubn.terested=stn-. considering the idea," said Woods. Later, the Sun Life Insurnce, company got involved by fin- ancing Participark promotion and brochures, construction guides and so on. Sun Life also underwrite the cost of special Participark signs installed in 1 every park.' NO COST TO YOU "The beauty of the idea is that it doesn't cost the taxpay- er any money and it doesn't have to cost the Kinsmen anything. In many cases, they build it themselves and always on municipal or public land for the purpose." Woods estimated if the aver- age community was going to install its own fitness trail, the project would cost between $20,000 and $30,000. Because of ted there were -50 or 460 --the three-part involvementand participarks either in the-` because it's always a local planning o_ r development community project, the com- stage. ', _•riunity gets an "interesting - What's--•a4-Participant afid-met-ivatire-facility for.no Norm Woods, -director. of initial cost..• national projects' for Partici- Parks are -normally -turned PARTICIPARKS ARE ALL THE RAGE ... nearly 100 in Canada today over to the community for ongoing maintenance. Woods said the fitness trail concept would simply not have developed to anywhere near the extent it has without the involvement of the Kinsmen club. "It's not a high priority for the average parks and recrea- tion department," he said. "And most of these are in -smaller communities which would not undertake such a project without someone else's help. ' "From our standpoint, we're -• a promotional and educational agency, so as Much as we liked the concept, it wasn't until the Kinsmmen carne looking"' for a project with��national emphasis that we could even consider the idea." P By sometime ,this year, the Kinsmen •estimate 100 parks. wilt be open and the national organization isn't stopping An rest on itsiaurels. "Gerry Allen,national direc- .:tor, in an issue of Kin Magazine,. challenged each of the more than 500 Kinsmen clubs across. the country to get involved, • He 'challenged Kinsmen clubs to have a look at their community and find' some obvious spot where a partici-. park can be located. Allen said: jhe old and young benefit. He noted the parks are inexpensive and require little manpower to construct while providing a facility for 'a great number of people. He also urged dubs not to stop when their parks are 'built: "Select an energetic .chair - I rnan and organize competi- tions between school grades, school rivals, other service groups . . but make sure we e:i-rt—`;e-c-ouId all-do_withMthe exercise and it's inexpensive fun as well." " As if to prove Allen's point, the Calgary park's opening was attended by thousands who jammed Glenmore Park for—the occasion. By the time the. 50th park was opened, every province of Canada was involved. half the estimated total cost._ Remaining funds were sought in fund canvasses an special projects. BEAUTIFUL PARK SITE In. Truro, n.S., the Kinsmen club gat permission to estab- 'lish their participark in fain- ous Victoria Par . Their par- ticipark is dedicated to• Dr. Jim Vibert, arominent Truro:. surgeon killed while jogging. The surgeon's wife cut the ribbon in a cereipony which; attracted 1,500 participants. The Truro ;project posed several unusual challenges due to.a variation of .150,.feet, "in the terrain, A nearby brook had to be crossed twice by bridges and the same. brook had to be diverted to .prevent flooding, The result was a pi :cturesque course for the jogger or skier. .,pr for a family walk in an otherwise vacant area. The Kinsmenpresence wast already evident in Victoria. Park: The Victoria park Swimming Pool -and, the Kins- men Adventure and Wading . Pool "are Kin projects where ,...Kinsmmen.-and ..K-4(...pa.erate---.,� children's programs each summer. The participark built by the St. Catharines Kinsmen club took 850 man-hours and some $5,000 to complete. . The park was built in seven weeks to run parallel to 12 -Mile Creek in a wooded valley. The park includes nine exercise -"Stations adjoining a two -kil- ometre jogging trail. In Caledonia, Ont., Kinsmen -had .to get involved — very involved — in their participark pbroject. Club members cleared and thinned a forested area adj- 30 ACRE SITE in Mississauga, Ont., the Kinsmen participark- became an.integral element in a plan to expand and develop 30 acres of belonging to the school board and the municipality. The project is to include a track, three soccer pitches, a joint football -soccer field, an environmental playground and a rest area with benches and picnic tables in addition to -the fitness park. The project was in the talking stages for three years before the Kinsmen were approached and took over the financial end of the plan. The club applied for provincial - funds and recel,nd--$45.000, Club members cleared and thinned a forested area adja- cent to Kinsmen Park on the Grand River. Then, they col- lected cedar logs for the park. . The project was tied in with a new dam and expansion of the Kinsmen Park in co-opera- tion with • the Grand River Conservation Authority and Canada Works. It was part of a bel itificatio1Fplan for the"` - ` -- river area, - 4 • FITNESS PARKS ARE DESIGNED FOR FAMILY USE ...and most are used all year round Compliments of BEATTIE FURNITURE FUNERAL HOME 18 Albert Street, Clinton 482-9521 55Rattenbury St., bast •-482-9521 Serving Clinton and area since 1934 4 KINSMEN CLUB OPENS 50TH-PARTICIPARK ... for fitness buffs in Calgary, Alberta Continued Success AA The First Canadian Bank Bank...of, Montreal Main Corner, Clinton 482-341'9