EDIE ZUVANICH Special to the Press
If Tyler Bybee gets his wish, more residents will soon be including Memorial Field in their fitness routine as the facility is upgraded to have something for everyone.
“Every day we have dozens of people working out. We started fitness classes at the field house. People do wellness there,” Bybee, parks and recreation director, told the Taylor City Council at a Dec. 14 meeting.
Bybee presented a park plan that was designed to maximize the four corners of the field outside of the running track. This would allow more people to use the field facilities even when the field itself is in use.
“Some of the items that were thought about and discussed were how park users use the space, to not impede current programming because we do use the football field for football games. We do use it for youth practices and we don’t want to stop that. But there is a lot of dead space where busses used to park. It’s unused space where we’re just mowing grass,” Bybee said.
The plan focuses on a different use for each area. The northwest corner, outside the office building, would be a park-like atmosphere where classes could be held. The southwest corner of the field would be set up as a “ninjastyle obstacle course” for kids. The northeast corner would have stations for stretching and calisthenics, while the southeast corner would feature machine-based strength training equipment.
The concept was designed by Halff Associates, in conjunction with Good Life Taylor and with input from the Parks and Recreation department.
Good Life Taylor received a Community Solutions Grant from the Williamson County Cities and Health District for $50,000 to go toward the purchase and installation of fitness equipment at Memorial Field. Bybee was at the city council meeting to get approval to order the first four pieces of equipment for the strength training area.
Council approved the purchase of a chest/ back press, a squat press, an elliptical machine and Tai Chi wheels, which are shoulderstrengthening machines that are Americans with Disabilities Act accessible.
The $34,894.03 price tag includes the equipment purchase and freight. Bybee said that with park equipment having long lead time, he wanted to get these items ordered quickly and installation would be arranged once an expected delivery time was known.
The Fitness Park is just part of the overall upgrade to Memorial Field. In 2022, the city received a grant from the St. David’s Foundation to help refurbish the track. The track project is expected to be completed in 2024.
Another goal for Memorial Field is to connect it with the rest of Murphy Park as indicated in the 2020 Master Plan.
“The Master Plan has trails coming back off the main hike and bike path and pavilion up towards Memorial,” Bybee pointed out the trail indicated on the concept drawing. “You’ll be able to come up off the main hike and bike up to the field and run around the track,” he said.
Sharon Boon, a wellness coach who utilizes the track at Memorial Field, said it’s been nice to see how the field and track have grown.
“As we get more equipment inside and more programs in there and get more people realizing that they can have the opportunity to go use the track, I think that’s going to be huge for the program, for the city. And it’s going to be a really positive influence on the community,” Boon said. “I hear that from people coming out of fitness classes, how much they really appreciate that Taylor is doing this. We’re upping our game here. That’s such a beautiful thing to see.”
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As we get more equipment inside and more programs in there and get more people realizing that they can have the opportunity to go use the track, I think that’s going to be huge for the program, for the city.”
-Sharon Boon, a wellness coach who utilizes the track at Memorial Field
