’Fit Trail’ May be Good Fit for Eaton Park

The new municipal councillor for Cumberland’s District 3 is not waiting to be sworn in, she’s already active in efforts to add to the community.

Jennifer Houghtaling, from Pugwash Junction, represents Pugwash and surrounding area. She made a presentation last night to the Pugwash Village Commission offering a unique kind of recreation system designed for outdoor activity.

Fit Trail is an outside take on the multiple training station concept used in weight training and gyms throughout the world.

Houghtaling noted the system complements the rustic nature of Eaton Park and she encouraged the commission to accept an offer to install some of the system in the park.

Fit Trail offers a number of fitness or exercise stations. You walk from one to the next following the instructions for each station. Of course, there is no instructor so people are free to complete one routine or more as their level of fitness allows.

Each station is built with heavy posts installed in ground with signage that describes the exercise for each.

A unique, new cushioning material called “engineered wood fibre” provides a soft base around each station, roughly about two to three metres around. Houghtaling described it as a soft wood carpet.

The Municipality of Cumberland purchased the system a year ago and hope to install units at three or four locations throughout the county. Up to eight stations are anticipated for Pugwash.

The village commission asked for a little more detail and all agreed to walk through the park to consider where they may best fit to avoid conflict with current park activities and guaranteeing the Fit Trail does not impact any view of the surrounding harbour.

With final approval the Fit Trail will be installed next spring.

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