Want to workout outside? Waukee may soon have a new public option with an outdoor gym.

Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register
·2 min read

Gym-goers in Waukee may soon have the option to workout for free at an outdoor gym in a local park.

Waukee City Council members on June 17 approved a plan to fund a National Fitness Campaign outdoor fitness court to be located at Ridge Pointe Park, 655 S.E. Legacy Pointe Blvd., along the Heart of the Warrior Trail.

"People like to stay fit while having fun outside, and we work hard to make outdoor recreation accessible to all residents," Matt Jermier, the city's Parks and Recreation director, said in a news release.

Jermier told the Des Moines Register a few members of a local CrossFit club had approached him about an idea to add pullup bars along the city's trails. Jermier combined that with what he knew about the National Fitness Campaign — a wellness consulting firm with the aim of funding 5,000 outdoor fitness courts across the U.S. by 2030, according to its website.

The result is a plan for an outdoor bodyweight circuit training system that would have space and simple structures designed for people who are at least 14-years-old to do core, squat, push, pull, lunge, agility and bending exercises.

A sample rendering shows what a National Fitness Campaign Fitness Court looks like and how it works. Waukee has a funding plan to build one of the outdoor bodyweight circuit training courts in 2025 at Ridge Pointe Park.
A sample rendering shows what a National Fitness Campaign Fitness Court looks like and how it works. Waukee has a funding plan to build one of the outdoor bodyweight circuit training courts in 2025 at Ridge Pointe Park.

Jermier said people at the court would be able to scan a QR code to access workout guides. The National Fitness Campaign also has a mobile app.

Some parks in the Des Moines metro already have outdoor fitness equipment, such as Evergreen Park in Des Moines. Windsor Heights' improvement plan for Colby Park includes a fitness circuit to be located along Walnut Creek Trail.

But in terms of the National Fitness Campaign, Waukee's outdoor fitness equipment would only be the third such court in Iowa after a park in Clinton and Iowa Lakes Community College in Emmetsburg, according to the campaign's map.

Waukee spokesperson Heather Behrens said the budget for the project is about $218,000, including $170,000 for the court and national campaign services, an estimated $20,000 for concrete and an estimated $28,000 for installation.

The city accepted a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign. The city also plans to contribute $50,000 for the project.

Behrens said that leaves about $138,000 to fundraise. The city's parks department is working on a fundraising strategy, but Behrens said it's expected that the majority of remaining funds would come from additional grants. The city may also use some Local Options Sales Tax revenue, according to its news release.

Fundraising will run until June 2025, according to city council documents.

The city expects construction would start in July 2025 and be completed by September 2025.

Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @pslifeisabeauty.  

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Waukee may soon have an outdoor gym in Ridge Pointe Park