Outdoor fitness equipment will be added to Riverfront Park in Niles this summer thanks to a sizable grant through Be Healthy Berrien.

Cindy Cataldo, Niles Parks and Recreation Board chairperson, said the city’s parks department received a $25,000 grant that will be used to acquire outdoor fitness equipment for placement along the park’s multi-use trail.

Exercise stations could include equipment such as chin-up bars, push-up bars, vault bars, parallel bars and a climbing wall. The stations would be spread out along the trail.

Cataldo said she is getting quotes on equipment and looking for equipment that would require little to no maintenance.

“I hope it brings people down to the trail a little bit more,” Cataldo said. “It should be a neat way to do some exercising.”

Be Healthy Berrien is a countywide partnership of Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA, Berrien County Health Department, Lakeland HealthCare, Niles-Buchanan YMCA, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission and United Way of Southwest Michigan. The aim is to reduce obesity in Berrien County and subsequently, decrease chronic illness and increase residents’ overall health.

Niles Daily Star