MEEKER | If you like to exercise with frequent walks, I have a new opportunity to share with you. It’s even indoors, warm, and does not require a user fee.
Head over to the new Meeker High School and get your exercise on the track above the gym. From Feb. 16 – April 29, the track is available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Registration is not required. A gym supervisor will be on hand, but you can walk at your own pace as much or little as you wish.
Please note that this program is limited to adults 18 and older. Masks are required at the school at all times, including walking. To access the gym, park in the guest parking lot and enter through the main front door. The front office can give you directions and get you logged in.
A minimum of four people must show up by 8:45 or the program will be closed for that day. With COVID restrictions and schedules changing frequently, you can check current accessibility by contacting the front desk at the Rec Center, 970-878-3403.
This is a gem of a resource to use during our harsh and changing winter conditions. I made my first visit last week and it is a cheerful, well lit, friendly place and you’ll find many generations out there on the track together. I guess you joggers could run too, although I just saw walkers.
If you’re habilitating from injury or surgery, use a cane or walker, or just need a very level surface to walk on, this is a perfect choice. An elevator is available as an alternative to the steps plus there is convenient handicapped parking in front of the school.
The track is flat, safe, and offers a splendid view of the new gym floor. You can dream about basketball, wrestling, volleyball and other sports, current and past, as you walk. There are benches and chairs right outside the track to put on your walking footwear, leave your winter coat, or take a breather.
Thanks to collaboration between the high school and Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan (ERBM) Recreation and Park District this school resource used by our young athletes is also available to the public. ERBM staffers Dylan Mobley and Jay Edwards oversee this program and monitor the track during public use.
We owe both organizations and the school design team a debt of gratitude for planning and implementing public access while maintaining security and now COVID precautions as part of the new school. Shared public resources are just awesome to me.
On behalf of the high school and ERBM who encourage more walkers, I invite you to use this resource if you seek an indoors, dry walking space. Spring may be just around the corner, but I can’t wait for warm weather or dry conditions to get in some exercise. Hope to see you there.
Thanks to Amy Chinn, Dylan Mobley, and Jay Edwards for their contributions to this article.
By KAYE SULLIVAN – Special to the Herald Times
