Atchison accepts $40,000 Blue Cross grant, gives 120 days to assemble remaining funding for outdoor fitness court

The Atchison City Commission voted to adopt Resolution 34-19 to accept a $40,000 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and the National Fitness Campaign and to authorize staff to spend up to 120 days seeking roughly $155,000 in additional sponsors to move forward with an outdoor fitness court.

City Manager Mark Westoff told commissioners the grant covers $40,000 and the remaining funding requirement would be about $155,000. "This resolution basically accepts that grant. It does not bind us to do the project. It gives us 120 days to try to put together group funding from different sponsors in the community," Westoff said.

Westoff said the design partner targeted a site near the riverfront trail based on walkability and existing pedestrian traffic, and described the equipment as largely stationary so there would be fewer broken parts than older "life trail" stations. "One benefit of this over those is that there's not really that much that can break on this unless, you know, something catastrophic happened like a vehicle hit it," he said.

Commissioners moved and seconded the resolution; the motion carried. The resolution accepts the grant funding but does not obligate the city to construct the court if the additional sponsorships cannot be secured within the 120-day period.

If funding is assembled, staff said the city would return to the commission with next steps and cost commitments. If sufficient sponsorships are not found the commission can decline to proceed after that period.