Dolton Park District celebrates grand opening of new outdoor fitness court

The Dolton Park District has unveiled a newly revitalized park with the grand opening of their new outdoor fitness court.

The new fitness court, located at Triangle Park on 154th St. and Greenwood Ave., is a part of a campaign started by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois called “The National Fitness Campaign.” The initiative aims to promote healthy lifestyles by making infrastructure available to various communities. This park is one of many being established in the Southland, including in Glenwood and Richton Park.

The court is meant to be functional, made up of 30 pieces of equipment. Its seven different stations are designed to target a different part of the body. The back of the structure will be used for classes, such as Zumba.

“We like to meet people in the community where they live, work, and play to promote healthy lifestyles for everyone,” said Dimarco Patterson, a Community Solutions team member from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. “Look at all the people that live right here across the street that can come out utilize this at no charge and have to worry about going to a fitness gym or buying a membership or anything like that. It’ll be really useful.”

State Reps. Thaddeus Jones (D-29), Will Davis (D-30), and Sen. Napoleon Harris (D-15) helped the park district bring in grants to support the fitness court, as well as revitalize some of the village’s 11 parks, including Blackstone Park on 146th St. and Blackstone Ave.

“We know that our health determinants are off the charts more than any other population of people,” Davis said. “So, we must do more to make sure that we’re becoming healthier and getting out of our homes, whether it’s just walking, doing some sort of exercise and movement.”

The fitness court boasts artwork from Thornridge High School alumni. Nakai Parker and Kaiyah Gillette, both 19, originally got involved with the project because their art teacher, Carrie Carlson, approached them with an art challenge. Parker and Gillette were the only two that entered. Their artwork was automatically accepted with a reward of $5,000. 

“This is the first fitness court I’ve really seen in, like, Dolton […] I really want people to use it, I want people to take advantage of it,” Parker said. “I want people to see something colorful, something playful, something that could be enjoyed by all ages, something that they can look forward to.”

“This project has been in the making for the past two and a half years,” said Dolton Park District commissioner Cleo Jones. That includes the artwork. Parker and Gillette originally began working on their pieces during their sophomore year at Thornridge. Their greatest challenge was designing imagery that could be displayed on a large mural. 

Fun and culture are its biggest themes, Parker said. “You can see in one of the girls [in the mural], it’s play hard, so I want people to not only work hard but play hard and just have a lot of fun. There’s […] a bunch of different races, clubs, genders, just having fun running around, and that’s what I want this community to take away from it,” said Parker.

The Dolton Park District has a master plan to reimagine its entire system. Upgrades include a baseball complex, walking trails, and tennis court renovations. The plans also include creating a campus at Triangle Park encompassing a daycare center, increasing the size of the recreation center, and a media center to engage local youth.

“The more amenities we have, the more people are proud of their park, the more they’re proud of their park, the more they attend the park,” said Lonette Hall, Executive Director of the Dolton Park District. 

Park district leaders are calling on the public to keep an eye on their neighborhood parks to prevent vandalism.