Grant helps add equipment to walking trail

The $5,000 will help fund costs for new gym equipment for exercise stations that will be included on the trail.

McCook was one of nine communities that received a 2008 Health Advantage Wellness grant, the first of its kind from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska. Grants awarded this summer were for projects that show the greatest promise for bettering the health and well-being of community residents outside of the Omaha/Lincoln metropolitan areas.

More than 60 communities from across Nebraska vied for the funds, said Bev Carlson, Blue Cross Blue Shield public relation specialist.

Jack Mills, chairman of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, presented the check Thursday in a special ceremony at the Republican Valley Event Center, to representatives of the City of McCook, the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department and the McCook Community Foundation.

The funds will go to expand the More Fit McCook-Walk to Health program and fund half the cost of 12 work-out pieces to be placed on the first phase of the walking trail, from East H Street to Kelley Park along Kelley Creek.

The equipment will target specific movements to create a more complete workout either while walking or running on the trail.

The rest of the equipment costs will be funded by individual or organization contributions. Half of the purchase price for each equipment piece can be sponsored by organizations or individuals, with costs running from $100 to $950. Signs denoting sponsorship will be installed next to the equipment, with the McCook Rotary Club already sponsoring one equipment piece.

Construction on the first phase of the trail is expected to begin the end of August. Entry/exit ramps are already in place, sponsored by the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department.

This new grant will help make the trail more interactive, said Becky Kilpatrick, a featured speaker at the ceremony along with Tor Olson. With exercise stations located along the trail, everyone will be able to participate, Kilpatrick said.

"You won't need a key, join a club or buy equipment," she said. "This grant has made our vision twice as good."

Besides local residents, the trail will attract visitors who are looking for a healthy way to spend some time, she added.

Tor Olson said the 13.2 miles trail will eventually circle in and out of McCook and be constructed in phases.

The vision began 15 years ago when he first moved here, Olson said, with encouragement from then-public works director Marty Conroy.

Olson said Conroy's support and encouragement kept the vision going and that several major sponsors and individuals made the trail possible by providing funds.

This included donations from the city, the Middle Republican Natural Resources District and Community Hospital of McCook/Community Hospital Health Foundation/McCook Clinic.

Another big donation came from the Hormel Family Foundation, that sponsored the match for the first phase and whose contribution will be recognized with a plaque.

In thanking Blue Cross Blue Shield, City Manager Kurt Fritsch said the city was fortunate to have lots of park land to work with and that the trail will be a true jewel in the city.

"It's a piece of the community that makes it special," he said. The $5,000 grant is like "icing on the cake," he said and "makes the trail more than just walking space."

The two people responsible for pulling the project together and keeping it going are Olson and Kilpatrick, he said.

Communities don't always have the resources for these kind of projects and Olson and Kilpatrick were able to spearhead the effort, Fritsch said.