AMHERST — A dedicated outdoor fitness space could be added to the town’s recreational sites through support from a national initiative that would provide grant money to cover most costs of its installation.

The Amherst Recreation Commission recently gave the go-ahead for Recreation Director Rey Harp to pursue the development of a so-called “sport court” that would be funded by the National Fitness Campaign, an effort that brings together the largest health care providers in the United States to build out what is being called the Fitness Court network.

Harp told the commission that the national campaign provides money to create the outdoor sport court that would include stationary workout equipment and other areas for the community to do drop-in fitness activity.

According to the National Fitness Campaign website, The Fitness Court would have seven stations to do various movements, including squat, lunge and bend, in seven minutes.

While siting this at Community Field, next to War Memorial Pool, is not a given, that is one location being examined, Harp said. Situated between Triangle and Mattoon streets near the Amherst Regional High School, plans are already underway to reimagine that space.

Harp said that location is ideal because, aside from the pool during the summer months, there is not much recreation opportunity there, with the basketball courts run down and swingsets in bad shape. A former wading pool was also demolished several years ago. The site is across from the track and field at Amherst Regional High School that is supposed to be upgraded in the coming years.

Assisstant Town Manager David Ziomek said the concept for the sport court is to get money and have the project complete in the 2025 or 2026.

“We haven’t locked in a site for the sport court, the idea is that perhaps it could go near the War Memorial Pool,” Ziomek said.

Commission member Jonas Cox questioned whether the sport court would be used and that the project doesn’t feel like one that would fit Amherst, observing that they may be best intended for warm weather areas where use is possible year round.

“It would be a shame if we built this and it doesn’t get used,” Cox said.

A similar concern was expressed by commission member Andrew MacDougall, though he supported continuing to pursue the money. “The worst case scenario is we build it in a spot that is fundamental to other things we’re are trying to do, and it goes unused,” MacDougall said.

Commission member Jean Janecki, though, suggested that the facility would become an attractive option. “If it’s there, people will use it,” Janecki said.

Harp said they are relatively popular when they get installed, having observed them in use in Florida.

The grant application, if accepted, would be match by private and sponsored funding.

Pool house replacement

The concept of developing a sport court comes as the Department of Public Works is in the midst of planning for a new pool house to replace the aging 1950s-era building at War Memorial Pool. In addition to replacing the pool house, the town department is trying to figure out what will be going on around that, said Assistant DPW Director Amy Rusiecki.

An appropriation of $750,000 in Community Preservation Act money is supposed to be used to remove and replace the pool house and revitalize the property surrounding the town’s oldest swimming pool.

But Rusiecki said it is important to understand what other potential projects might come, such as if a splash pad or wading pool were to be added, the pool house would need to have space to incorporate a larger filter.

The town previously hired Weston & Sampson to develop a plan to transform the area to make it more lively, similar to how Mill River Recreation Area has a large swimming pool, a wading pool, as well as basketball and tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, a pavilion and picnic tables.

“Mill has a lot of stuff over there that’s attractive to families, to kids, to adolescents that are going just to hang out,” Harp said.

Ziomek has said that upgrading the area around War Memorial Pool could come at a cost of $1.5 million and $2 million, factoring in the demolition of the pool house, construction of a new building with public bathrooms and installation of new basketball courts, a playground and seating areas.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.