Escondido residents will soon have a number of new options for getting in shape, thanks to a series of planned new fitness facilities.
On Nov. 18, the city unveiled the first of five planned “fitness courts,” which are described as free outdoor gyms available for public use. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the site of the first fitness court, which was built at Mountain View Park.
The city plans to install two more of the fitness courts in the spring, at Kit Carson Park and next to the city’s main library on South Kalmia Street. The two final courts will be built in the near future, said city officials.
Another outdoor recreation project is planned for Jesmond Dene Park, where a bike park will be built and named for City Councilman John Masson, who died in March. Masson was a strong advocate for youth recreation opportunities, and he enjoyed such activities as skateboarding, motocross and mountain biking, according to a city staff report.
Steven Davis, 52, gets in a morning workout at the newly opened fitness court at Mountain View Park in Escondido. He lives nearby and exercises here regularly.
(Charlie Neuman/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The Escondido City Council, at a meeting on Nov. 18, gave a green light to the project and authorized the city to accept a $271,000 state grant to pay for the new bike park.
Also at the Nov. 18 meeting, the council received an update on a plan to build a “skate spot” at Washington Park. The city has set aside funds for design and construction of the new facility for skateboarders. A staff report said design of the skate spot and an adjacent parking lot will cost $143,574, and construction of the skate spot is estimated at $382,000.
Construction is expected to begin in January, weather permitting, with completion by summer, said Deputy City Manager Joanna Axelrod.
The first fitness court, located at Mountain View Park, 1160 S. Citrus Ave., was completed in February, said Axelrod, but the opening was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re so excited to be finally able to open it,” she said.
Graphics show how to use the equipment at the new fitness court in Escondido’s Mountain View Park.
(Charlie Neuman/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The city worked with the National Fitness Campaign, a for-profit consulting firm based in San Francisco, to design and build the outdoor workout facility for ages 14 and up.
National Fitness provided $30,000 in seed money for the project, and the city’s utility department provided an additional $165,000, which the department provided in exchange for park land it needed to construct a water pumping station, Axelrod said.
The fitness courts are about 1,000 square feet and utilize a design developed by the National Fitness Campaign. They include seven workout zones, each of which focuses on a different type of movement. Together, the seven zones provide a full-body workout. The zones include core, squat, push, lunge, pull, agility and bend.
Fitness court users can download a free app developed by National Fitness Campaign that includes instructional videos, workout tips and challenges, in which participants compete in timed workouts.
“It’s like having a personal trainer in your pocket,” Axelrod said.
People working out at the new fitness court in Escondido’s Mountain View Park can coordinate their exercise with a downloadable app.
(Charlie Neuman/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Exercisers can also take free classes taught by volunteer “ambassadors,” who have been recruited by the city. The first free exercise class is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, said Axelrod. People can search for available classes or sign up for classes through the app, or at www.escondido.recreation.org.
Escondido resident Nadia Mondragon, who works as a personal trainer, is one of the city’s fitness ambassadors. Her first class is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.
For now, she said, the classes will be limited to between seven and 10 participants to allow for social distancing. Once the pandemic has eased, she said, a larger number of people will be able to join in the classes.
She said the fitness courts are important because they provide a resource to city residents to stay as healthy as possible and decrease the incidence of diabetes, heart ailments and other conditions.
“The impact these fitness courts will have in the community is huge in terms of health,” she said.
Escondido’s fitness court is the second to open in San Diego County, said Trent Matthias, director of National Fitness Campaign. The first opened to the south in Imperial Beach.
Steven Davis, 52, works out in the new fitness court in Escondido’s Mountain View Park.
(Charlie Neuman/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The organization was founded in 1979, and in the ‘80s and ‘90s, thousands of fitness courts were built across the U.S. utilizing an older design made of wood and steel, said Matthias.
Three years ago, the organization launched its new fitness court design, which is integrated with the mobile app, and there are now about 150 locations in the country, Matthias said.
The newly designed fitness court is both aesthetically pleasing and safe in the current environment, in which outdoor workouts are deemed safest from the risk of COVID-19 infection, he said.
“It’s a fully functional, free outdoor gym,” he said.
Axelrod, with the city of Escondido, said the National Fitness Campaign has provided invaluable support in such areas as building, marketing, outreach and seeking sponsorships to help defray costs.
At the same time the city moves forward on building additional fitness courts, it will be submitting paperwork to the state for funding the planned bike park at Jesmond Dene Park. That work will include updating the park’s master plan to include the bike course, Axelrod said.
“We anticipate this project will move forward very quickly,” she said. Jesmond Dene Park is in the late councilman Masson’s district, said Axelrod. “It’s such a fitting way to honor him and what he gave back to the community.”
The project is supported by the San Diego Mountain Biking Association, which may help with the cost of design for the project, said Ben Stone, trails coordinator with the association.
Bicycling has exploded in popularity since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, said Stone, and demand is rising for bike parks such as the one planned for Jesmond Dene Park. The county of San Diego opened a bike park in Bonita in 2019, and it has proven to be one of the best-used amenities in the county park system. In all, nine new bike parks are being planned around the county, including one in San Marcos, Stone said.
“For the city of Escondido, I think this will be incredibly popular,” said Stone.
