Back in 2012, the buildings on the Huron University campus were blighted and needed to be torn down. The Mayor at that time was instrumental in creating Splash Central Water Park on the old college campus. The Campus Center building was saved from demolition and became the home of the Huron Park & Recreation Department, as well as becoming a facility for community meetings.
The members of the Huron Get Fit Committee asked for space in the Campus Center building to create a 24/7 fitness room for city employees. The request was approved by the City Commission and the Committee began improving the room after getting input from the city’s insurance carrier. Economically-priced but still serviceable exercise equipment was purchased and continues to be sought after to equip the room.
From 2013 to now, the amount of space used for the employee fitness room and the number of pieces of exercise equipment have both grown. Some equipment was purchased from South Dakota Federal Surplus Property while other equipment has been donated.
The employees and their household family members over the age of 16 must sign a waiver and are issued a card for 24-hour access to the building. To further enhance the security of the fitness room, there is a code entry lock in the door to the room.
Currently, the room is being rearranged and organized. In the coming months, the walls in the room will be taped, textured and painted to make the room more appealing. In addition, lighting will be improved and hooks or lockers will be installed so that users have places to store their street clothes when they come to use the room.
Creating and equipping the employee fitness room happened due to the hard work and dedication to wellness of a small group of city employees—the Huron Get Fit Committee!