Laserfiche WebLink
with 15 more on the way,after park officials found,to their surprise,there were"lines of people waiting to use the <br /> equipment." <br /> And two mothers in Washington State,Paige Dunn and Kelly Singer,started a grass-roots campaign last year to build <br /> ^Momentum^sites tohelp new mothers shed their baby weight;each site would face a children's play area and hold <br /> seven pieces of equipment that specifically target problem areas.The women raised$3o.000toopen the first one in <br /> Auburn,Wash;asecond will be dedicated in Redmond,Wash,next month. <br /> In New York City,where adults are banned from playgrounds unless accompanied bya child,the$2oo.000Bronx <br /> playground with 15 pieces of equipment opened two years ago as part of an effort to get more people out to the parks <br /> to exercise and slim down.Parks officials said it had been popular enough that the city was now planning arapid <br /> expansion. <br /> "This represents a continuing evolution of both parks and playgrounds,"said Adrian Benepe,the parks commissioner. <br /> This fall,the city will build a second adult playground with upgraded amenities—river view,exercise mats,chess <br /> tables,a sign that says,"Adult Space"—at John Jay Park on the Upper East Side.Councilwoman Jessica Lappin,who <br /> represents the neighborhood,said she had secured$250,000 in city money for the project after some of her older <br /> constituents pointed out.'Therearrtotlotm.butthere'mooplaceforum.^ <br /> "A lot of these people live alone,"she said."So going outside to the park,and being part of the activity of the park,is <br /> important tothenn.^ <br /> Aboutz5ompotmiochyparbmhaveooeortwopiecemofold'famhiooedaduhDtoemmequipnneot.nnomdymtadcpiecemlike <br /> chin-up bars.And parks elsewhere have had fitness circuits for years,though usually they've been fairly modest.Many <br /> of the new adult playgrounds will have comprehensive workout areas and equipment with moving pieces. <br /> As public policy,adult playgrounds have proved far easier to sell as an anti-obesity measure than,say,a proposed ban <br /> on large sodas.They produce almost no noise or car traffic,take up little space and are cheaper to build than <br /> children's playgrounds,though the cost varies depending on size and location. <br /> "They're not controversial,"said Michael Shull,a parks superintendent in Los Angeles,which spends an average of <br /> $40,000 on a site for adults,versus$300,000 for children.New York City's adult playgrounds will cost from$75.000 <br /> for the smallest one,with five pieces of equipment,to more than$200,000,park officials said.In contrast,children's <br /> playgrounds typically start at$500.000.with the majority running$z million to$2 nnNioo. <br /> The demand for adult-size equipment has created a niche business in an industry that once catered mainly to the <br /> elementary school set.GameTime,one of the largest manufacturers of children's playground equipment,introduced a <br /> new adult line in2009called iTrack,which includes elliptical trainers and rowing machines.Outdoor Fitness in <br />