New Fitness Trail At Harrison Available For Community Use

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.


With a snip of the scissors Thursday afternoon, the Community Fitness Trail at Harrison Elementary School now is officially open.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremonies, Harrison physical education teacher Scott Mehlberg told the student body that it was his dream five years ago to start a fitness trail. He said he hoped the students would take advantage of the trail not only during P.E. classes, but also after school, on weekends and in the summer.[[In-content Ad]]But the trail isn't just for Harrison students, Mehlberg said. It's for the entire community. However, Harrison students are the direct beneficiaries of the trail.

"My goal is to have a one-mile trail. We have a half-mile trail now," Mehlberg said. The idea is for the trail to some day go around the soccer fields and back to the start.

The trail has been at Harrison since last fall. A couple of weeks ago, Mehlberg said, parents put in the stations. The stations include a stretching station, a push-up station, a reverse pull-up station, a sit-up station and a cool-down station. Anderson Lawn Care added trees to complete phase 1 of the project.

After Mehlberg cut the yellow ribbon, the entire school took one trip around the trail.

Mehlberg said the trail would not have been kick-started without Menards putting the challenge out there to get them started. Menards' financial backing, a $25,000 donation, helped get the trail started. An anonymous donor also matched Menards' gift.

The trail is available for the community's use. Hours on school days are 4 p.m. to dusk; dawn to dusk on weekends and during the summer.

While Mehlberg plans to work on getting more things for the trail, like trash receptacles to keep the trail clean, he said fundraising to expand the trail to one mile will be put on hold for about a year. The community has been so great in supporting the trail, he said, he didn't want to ruin a great thing.

"The trail is a dream come true," said Randy Polston, Harrison principal. Since he became the principal at Harrison, Polston said he's always wanted Harrison to be a learning campus. The trail is part of that.

In 2003, television station WNDU Channel 16 had a fitness challenge, which Polston and the school participated in.

"We lost a lot of weight. That planted a seed" for the trail, Polston said.

After school, he said he sees all kinds of people out on the trail, making use of it, from children to senior citizens. Polston has received e-mails from Silver Fox residents thanking the school for the trail so that they have a safe place to walk.

"This truly is a community trail," Polston said.

With a snip of the scissors Thursday afternoon, the Community Fitness Trail at Harrison Elementary School now is officially open.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremonies, Harrison physical education teacher Scott Mehlberg told the student body that it was his dream five years ago to start a fitness trail. He said he hoped the students would take advantage of the trail not only during P.E. classes, but also after school, on weekends and in the summer.[[In-content Ad]]But the trail isn't just for Harrison students, Mehlberg said. It's for the entire community. However, Harrison students are the direct beneficiaries of the trail.

"My goal is to have a one-mile trail. We have a half-mile trail now," Mehlberg said. The idea is for the trail to some day go around the soccer fields and back to the start.

The trail has been at Harrison since last fall. A couple of weeks ago, Mehlberg said, parents put in the stations. The stations include a stretching station, a push-up station, a reverse pull-up station, a sit-up station and a cool-down station. Anderson Lawn Care added trees to complete phase 1 of the project.

After Mehlberg cut the yellow ribbon, the entire school took one trip around the trail.

Mehlberg said the trail would not have been kick-started without Menards putting the challenge out there to get them started. Menards' financial backing, a $25,000 donation, helped get the trail started. An anonymous donor also matched Menards' gift.

The trail is available for the community's use. Hours on school days are 4 p.m. to dusk; dawn to dusk on weekends and during the summer.

While Mehlberg plans to work on getting more things for the trail, like trash receptacles to keep the trail clean, he said fundraising to expand the trail to one mile will be put on hold for about a year. The community has been so great in supporting the trail, he said, he didn't want to ruin a great thing.

"The trail is a dream come true," said Randy Polston, Harrison principal. Since he became the principal at Harrison, Polston said he's always wanted Harrison to be a learning campus. The trail is part of that.

In 2003, television station WNDU Channel 16 had a fitness challenge, which Polston and the school participated in.

"We lost a lot of weight. That planted a seed" for the trail, Polston said.

After school, he said he sees all kinds of people out on the trail, making use of it, from children to senior citizens. Polston has received e-mails from Silver Fox residents thanking the school for the trail so that they have a safe place to walk.

"This truly is a community trail," Polston said.
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