The outdoor gym at Port Coquitlam's Gates Park could soon be expanding if the city is successful in getting a $20,000 community planning grant.
The money, which is offered by the Union of BC Municipalities, is awarded to cities proposing age-friendly initiatives that help seniors live a more active lifestyle.
Gates Park's outdoor gym was chosen for an application because it is free to use and already popular among fixed-income seniors.
"This is the next phase of the project," Barry Becker, PoCo's parks and recreation director, told councillors at Monday's meeting. "We see this as a barrier-free and access-free project."
If the city receives the grant, it will use the money to fund the construction of three new exercise pods along the downtown section of the Traboulay PoCo Trail. The city will also hold instructional training classes and free drop-ins to teach the community how to use the equipment safely and effectively.
Coun. Glenn Pollock, deputy chair of PoCo's healthy community committee, said he would like to see similar barrier-free projects built closer to where seniors live. Parks near the Wilson Centre and some of the seniors housing developments along Kelly Street would be an ideal location for a no-cost gym, he said.
Pollock and the rest of council unanimously voted to support applying for the grant in order to expand the gym at Gates Park.
"I see how busy the facility currently is," Pollock said. "It is no-cost option for them to get their exercise."
