WESTERLO — A new location has been decided upon for the fitness court the county plans to put in Westerlo’s town park.

“The ‘new’ location would be situated between the tennis/pickle ball courts, basketball courts and the veterans memorial area,” county spokeswoman Mary Rozak wrote in an email answering Enterprise questions this week.

The original site was across the road between the playground and tree line.

Rozak went on about the new location, “It will be ideally viewable from the road on two sides, going both north and south. Parking is closer and it situates all fitness — adult related activities on one side of the park. Additionally, it helps preserve some green space.”

Westerlo’s fitness court will be similar to the one situated in Berne last fall. “Funding should be within the same dollar amount,” said Rozak.

Last fall, when the ribbon for the fitness court in Berne was being cut, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said the county’s Innovation Partnership with MVP paid $195,500 for the court while the county paid an additional $50,000 in labor, equipment, and materials to construct the court.

In November 2021, when Albany County awarded naming rights for its arena to MVP Health Care, originally Mohawk Valley Physicians Health Plan, the contract included an annual $1.4 million over five years for the Innovation Fund that is to support community projects like the fitness facility.

The National Fitness Campaign, a for-profit wellness consulting firm supported by a consortium of health insurance companies, including MVP, has a goal of building 5,000 outdoor fitness courts across the nation by 2030.

The first one in New York state was installed in Guilderland’s Tawasentha Park in May 2023. There are now over 30 statewide.

The fitness court in Guilderland, McCoy said at that 2023 press conference in Tawasentha Park, would be the “catalyst that will launch all of the other ones.”

McCoy said in Berne last fall, “One thing we learned from COVID, the disadvantaged neighborhoods that have health inequities, the food insecurity, and I could go on and on …. So part of this fund is to get back into the community and to really engage in a way for healthier lifestyles.”

The court is designed for anyone 14 or older to use the equipment at their own pace. Users also may download the free Fitness Court App, which the company says “acts as a coach-in-your-pocket.”