Fitness center opens at Delevoe Memorial Park

Fitness center opens at Delevoe Memorial Park

By Nicole Cohen

This article was originally published in the Sun Sentinel. 

Broward County‘s new Destination Fitness facility will enrich the quality of life for thousands of residents, said Peter Wood, vice president of programs and community investments for the Health Foundation of South Florida.

The outdoor exercise area in Rev. Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park, located at 2520 NW Sixth Street in Fort Lauderdale, has a dozen workout stations available to use at no cost.

Designed for ages 14 and older, it allows 23 people to exercise at the same time. Users can target specific areas such as arms, legs and upper body. Several of the fixtures are handicap accessible.

“It’s a world class fitness station,” Broward County Director of Parks and Recreation Dan West said at the ribbon cutting ceremony in June.

Destination Fitness is the first of its kind in the Broward Municipal Services District, County Commissioner Dale Holness said. It’s the latest of many improvements that are bringing tourism and commerce to the area.

“Destination Fitness ties in with the rich history of the corridor,” Holness said.

As part of the triplex with the Urban League and the African American Research Library and Cultural Center, Destination Fitness will spark socially enriching activities, organizers said.

The 36-acre park offers senior programing for ages 50 and up. After-school and summer programs are attended by hundreds of youth.

All ages will benefit by having access to the free workout equipment. It complements the park’s existing indoor fitness center which requires a membership fee and is limited to those older than 18.

The idea for Destination Fitness germinated in the neighbor-hood’s Healthy Community Zones group. Locals envisioned an asset that would provide much needed exercise options.

The Health Foundation of South Florida, Broward Health Regional Planning Council, Partnerships Transforming Our Com-munity’s Health (TOUCH) and County agencies “came together in essence as one” to make it happen, Wood said.

“Without partnerships in the community we wouldn’t see this,” assistant county administrator Alphonso Jefferson said. “It’s about bringing community business and residents together to change how this community functions.”