McCandless cuts ribbon on new fitness court; hosts food drive to help needy families

McCandless officials and local volunteers didn’t let the coronavirus pandemic restrictions stop them from participating in a ceremony to mark the formal opening of their new fitness court or collecting food for needy families on Saturday .

The 32-foot by 35-foot fitness court, located in the Town Hall Recreation Complex adjacent to the Lorraine G. Rogers soccer fields along Ingomar Road, was completed in mid-July, but town officials held off on conducting a ribbon-cutting ceremony until logos for the facility’s sponsor were applied.

The court was designed by the National Fitness Campaign, which provided a $30,000 grant for the project. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center provided a $60,000 sponsorship, and the town contributed about $41,500.

“UPMC conducted a community health needs assessment and one of the items identified as a need is to really focus on chronic disease management, specifically cardiovascular disease,” said Keith Lorenz, vice president of operations for UPMC Passavant. “So we are hoping that our partnership with the Town of McCandless will help support that.”

The fitness court has seven exercise stations, 30 pieces of body-weight training equipment and can accommodate as many as 28 people at a time.

While McCandless officials had to cancel the town’s annual Community Day celebration because of the coronavirus pandemic, they went ahead with one of the features of the event — a food drive to help local families.

Volunteers were on hand to collect food to help restock the pantries of North Hills Community Outreach, which operates food pantries in Allison Park, Millvale and Avalon.

Enough food was donated to fill 25 shopping carts with groceries. Checks and gift cards totaling $350 also were donated.

NHCO typically provides food to nearly 700 families each month. But during the pandemic, the number of people seeking help has increased by about 25%, said Jeff Geissler, a spokesman for the nonprofit organization.

“From the very start of the pandemic, the community has really stepped up to help out,” Geissler said. “The outpouring of support from families, businesses and volunteers is truly touching and heartfelt.”

McCandless canceled the Community Day celebration because of the financial hit the municipality has faced from the state-mandated shutdown to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The shutdown created a $1 million hole in McCandless’ budget due to a sharp reduction in revenue from taxes, according to officials.

In addition to the financial strain that holding the event would cause, town officials said an analysis of reopening plans conducted by the Pennsylvania Parks and Recreation Society raised questions about whether proper social distancing and other safety measures could be practiced at an event such as Community Day, which typically draws several thousand people.