$120K fitness court open at Summerlin area’s Bill Briare Park

City officials unveiled new outdoor fitness equipment, geared toward making exercise easy and more affordable, near Summerlin and Centennial Hills.

Representatives from the National Fitness Campaign and city of Las Vegas kicked off exercise at a newly built Fitness Court during a ribbon cutting Jan. 28 at Bill Briare Park, 650 N. Tenaya Way. The blue court has pedestals at various heights, pull-up bars and metal rings hanging down from poles and the back wall.

A workout can be completed in seven minutes with exercises featured on the Fitness Court app, said National Fitness Campaign Founder Mitch Menaged.

“There’s musical routines for adults of all ages; America’s best trainers show you how to use the Fitness Court,” he said.

The project cost about $120,000, according to Las Vegas Deputy Parks and Recreation Director Maggie Plaster, who led the project. The Fitness Campaign provided a $30,000 grant toward building the court, and the Parks and Recreation Department covered $90,000. The city ended up covering additional costs not included in that amount, such as for pouring concrete and flying out members from the organization to help build the court, Plaster said.

The city was contacted by the National Fitness Campaign to build a court. Parks throughout Las Vegas have similar exercise equipment, but they are scattered throughout the parks system and underused, Plaster said.

The Fitness Court is also durable enough to be outside year-round with minimal maintenance requirements.

“We found a way to make it happen with our budget,” Plaster said.

“We’re building this program all across Southern Nevada to encourage folks to come outdoors and stay healthy, develop a regular practice of fitness and healthy living,” Menaged said, adding the organization is in talks to build other courts in Henderson and Clark County.

“Obesity is an issue all across the country; folks are seeing that when they aren’t active it’s easy to start picking up a few pounds, he said. “Before you know it you start to gain weight and it slows you down.”

Parks and Recreation staff members decided where the Fitness Court would be, said City Councilman Brian Knudsen.

“This is in the heart of the valley in Ward 1 in Las Vegas, and we have a great team that can help identify where the most benefit would be; this is it,” Knudsen said, adding health care was an important issue to him and the court would help people keep healthy.

“I encourage people all around the valley to come in and try it out because I think as we see some success here, this is a model that can be replicated in other parts in the valley,” he said.

Contact Alex Chhith at achhith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0290. Follow @alexchhith on Twitter.