At Blue Heron Park in Franklin, outdoorsy types can run or walk on trails, play disc golf and bicycle through wetlands and restored Indiana prairie.
But thanks to the hard work of a local Boy Scout, and numerous volunteers and sponsors in the community, the park has a new way to get a total body workout.
The Eagle Stop, a station of outdoor fitness equipment, has been set up along the trailway at Blue Heron Park. The equipment offers a strength-training component so people can do exercises such as squats, shoulder rows or chin ups.
The planning and installation of the equipment was driven by Nicholas Wallace, a Franklin resident and longtime Boy Scout.
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“It feels good to know that I’ve done something that will be long-lasting in the community,” he said. “I hope people will get out and use this, and get into better shape.”
The original vision was to serve senior citizens looking for ways to be more healthy. But the equipment has proven to be a boon for everybody hoping to be more active, regardless of age, said Rocky Stultz, Franklin Parks and Recreation assistant superintendent.
“It’s along the trail system, and there’s an added benefit of having weight equipment out to access while people are out walking or running, and not have to go to a gym,” he said. “It’s a benefit to the whole community.”
Wallace envisioned the project as a way to earn his Eagle Scout distinction, the most prestigious rank in the Scouting world. He was searching for a project that would benefit the community, and inspiration hit him in November 2016 during a trip to Valparaiso to visit his grandparents.
He noticed that in their community, a nearby trail featured permanent equipment designed to give residents an easy way to work out their arms, legs, shoulders and other muscle groups.
Franklin seniors could benefit from that as well, he said.
After proposing his idea to Boy Scout leaders, Wallace started putting the pieces of his project in place. He contacted a representative with PlayWorld, a national company that manufactures playground and outdoor exercise equipment.
Working with PlayWorld and looking through the catalog, he thought the LifeTrail outdoor workout system would be best for Franklin. The different stations each have a variety of exercises that can be done. Signage instructs people how to use the equipment, as well as suggesting variations to the exercises to make the workout more or less difficult.
With that concept, Wallace met with Stultz to discuss the best options for equipment to add. They took into account the cost, how much was feasible for Wallace to fundraise, as well as the proper location within the Franklin parks system.
The fitness equipment cost about $17,000. To raise that money, Wallace hosted fundraisers, such as selling chocolate, cookies, candles and sand bracelets.
The largest contributions would come from local businesses and organizations, and he personally delivered letters around the county asking for donations, and gave presentations to groups such as Kiwanis Club to describe what he hoped to do.
The Johnson County Youth Foundation, Grace United Methodist Church, which hosts Wallace’s Boy Scout Troop 228, and Union Christian Church — Wallace’s own congregation — all contributed to the project. CICOA, a nonprofit group focused on aging, provided $5,000.
Finally, in August 2017, the equipment was ready for installation. A site in Blue Heron Park was prepared by Franklin Parks and Recreation staff, with a hole dug for the gravel and concrete pad that the different pieces of equipment would sit on. Wallace enlisted a team of more than 30 volunteers to help build the fitness sets, which he was entirely responsible for overseeing.
“A big part of the Eagle Scout is showing leadership, so I was the one telling people where to go and what to do,” he said.
But the installation of the equipment was only part of the project. Wallace had to carefully catalog everything that he had done since the start of the Eagle Scout process, including providing receipts for supplies bought, results from fundraisers, contributions of both money and in-kind donations and volunteer hours.
All of that information was included in a final report which he submitted to the Eagle Scout review board. He was approved and received his Eagle Scout rank on July 28.
With the equipment in use and the project completed, Wallace is excited to see how the community benefits from his work. He also wants to use the lessons that he gained from his career in Scouting and apply it to others in the future.
“Now it’s time for me to pay back now all of the people who put their effort into helping me as a Scout. I can take my knowledge and train the new Scouts, to take it wherever I go, to help other people,” he said.
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The Eagle Stop
What: A collection of public outdoor exercise equipment that allows people to get a full-body workout.
Where: The equipment is located at Blue Heron Park, beside the trail near the old playground.
Who: Nicholas Wallace, Franklin resident and Boy Scout
Why: The project was envisioned by Wallace as a way to help senior citizens, and the community as a whole, to exercise. He planned it as his Eagle Scout project.
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