Ribbon cutting held officially opening outdoor gym

A ribbon cutting was held on Friday, April 1 to officially commemorate the new free outdoor gym that was recently installed at City Park in Weiser.

 Leaders from Weiser Memorial Hospital, the City of Weiser, donors, and members of the community gathered to celebrate the occasion.

 “This gym would not have been possible without all of our donors and sponsors,” said Weiser Memorial Hospital Marketing and Community Relations Manager Kasey Davis as she addressed the crowd that had gathered. 

 “Employees of Weiser Memorial Hospital and Steve’s Hometown Motors, Weiser Memorial Hospital Foundation, through both Idaho Gives and a donation of their own, Mayor Hibberd, the City of Weiser, St. Agnes Catholic Church, and the Weiser Lions Club all contributed to make this wonderful structure and the sign would be able to be placed in our city park.”

 Davis first brought the idea for the outdoor gym to the Weiser City Council two years ago. Shipping issues, in part, delayed delivery of the equipment, which was finally installed by City employees on March 11, 2022.

 “One thank you that remains to be done is the ‘thank you’ to Kasey,” said Weiser Memorial Hospital CEO Steve Hale. “It was her brainchild and plan roughly two years ago, putting this together, trying to follow our mission of save lives, improve health, and build community. She’s kind of wrapped all three into one with this project in terms of building the community’s health, building and rallying support behind it, and then taking this on to make it a success. It’s been two years in the making, and we weren’t sure if it was going to get there between the delays in the equipment coming and all, but it’s finally here, even if it is April Fool’s Day.”

 The durable, weather-withstanding outdoor gym includes six, double-sided pairs of equipment, including fit-rider, foot glider, leg press, chest press, row, and pull-down. The equipment gives everyone the opportunity to get a gym-quality workout in the open air, with family and friends.

 It all came at a cost of $25,000, funds that were raised entirely through donations, according to Davis. 

 “This is a great addition to our park and it’s such a benefit to all ages of our community, and it’s a very attractive addition at that,” Weiser Mayor Randy Hibberd said.