May 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 41

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Visitors at the Jervey Gantt Recreational
Complex Trail in Ocala, Florida, can work out
using new fitness equipment designed by
GameTime.

Taking Strides for Fitness in Florida
A fitness trail in Ocala honors a local recreation legend and provides a freely
accessible opportunity for community wellness
By Danielle Taylor

F

or approximately 30 years, Ocala, Florida, residents have been able to
enjoy the Jervey Gantt Recreational Complex Trail for fitness and recreation, but some new developments have turned this local mainstay
into an exciting wellness destination. Still a work in progress, the trail has already been named a National Demonstration Site for Outdoor Fitness. Most
importantly, however, its new features have been enthusiastically embraced by
the residents of Ocala, where park professionals are already seeing a positive
change in the community due to the improvement of the trail.
Jervey Gantt served as the recreation and parks director in Ocala for
28 years, and he was a major player
in the Florida Recreation and Park
Association, where he served as
president and earned the Achievement, Fellow and Lifetime awards.
Additionally, he was a member of
the National Babe Ruth Baseball
Hall of Fame and the Florida Tennis

Association Hall of Fame. In 1984,
the city recognized Gantt's contributions to local athletics and youth
recreation by naming the 36th Avenue
sports complex in his honor. Today,
Jervey Gantt Park, a 63-acre destination in the southeastern corner of the
city, features tennis and racquetball
courts, a dog park, a volleyball court,
pavilions, a playground, a football

field, a memorial garden for deceased
children and a two-mile fitness trail.
Although the trail was heavily used
by the community, Ocala Parks and
Recreation staff knew it had more
potential, so they began thinking of
ways to enhance the pathway. First,
the asphalt surface was cracked and
damaged, and portions of it were
still uncovered clay, so they knew it
would need to be resurfaced. Next,
the existing fitness equipment was
tired and worn, so they wanted to
update the different stations as well.
A primary goal was to make the trail
attractive to a wide variety of users
while still providing quality opportunities for fitness, so this aim would
need to be factored into any renova-

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