Residents in Arthur have a new fitness option to add to their daily walk—an outdoor gym.

The gym is located on the small plot of land between Isabella, Charles, and Georgina Streets, and is shaded by the large pines on the plot. The multi-use equipment includes an air walker, knee lift, stepper, leg press, multi-grip dip station, hyper-extension bench, and a sit-up bench.

Keith Harris, a martial arts instructor in Arthur and a member of the BIA, tried out the equipment after it was installed during the first week of June.

“This is a very timely installation with COVID,” he said. “We encourage groups to come here and use it. It’s free.”

Arthur is the first town in the area to install an outdoor gym after the idea was brought to the table in 2018 during the town’s revitalization effort, inspired by a BIA member’s trip to Italy where they noticed the outdoor gyms.

The $18,000 equipment was a combined effort of the Arthur BIA, the Township of Wellington North, and the Province of Ontario through the Rural Economic Development grant. The township will take care of the maintenance.