Maximize your outdoor fitness parks return on investment
If you are a city planner or a park director who is considering the purchase of outdoor fitness equipment, you have probably asked yourself how you will measure the success of your project.
Investing in an outdoor fitness park is a non-revenue generating project, but there are other various tangible and intangible ways that you can maximize your project's return on investment (ROI). Some of these ways include the level of use it receives, the space used, the overall project costs, and the lifetime cost of the equipment. Before finalizing your outdoor fitness park, consider these four elements to increase the probability of a successful project that maximizes your ROI, and will have your community asking for more.
The outdoor fitness parks level of use
The feedback we hear from park directors is that the outdoor fitness equipment they installed years ago is not getting used, sits rusting away, and ends up getting removed. Once the novelty of new equipment in the community wears off, and people realize it offers no real exercise value or they physically cannot use it, they don’t return to the site. This negative experience felt by the community, and the municipality is due to the type of equipment chosen and not because there is no need for outdoor fitness equipment. Therefore, this deters municipalities from purchasing more outdoor fitness equipment because they see it as a waste. Avoid this from happening by choosing outdoor fitness equipment that offers users real exercise value through resistance and adjustability and can accommodate users of all fitness levels.
Maximize your space
Outdoor fitness equipment like large obstacle course systems or single stations requires a lot of space to accommodate multiple users. Utilizing a large footprint for the outdoor fitness park increases the cost of the overall project and takes away space for other amenities and infrastructure. A small footprint for your outdoor fitness park that accommodates multiple users simultaneously will positively impact your bottom line by using space and resources effectively.
The overall project cost
There are various costs to consider outside of the equipment costs. These costs are tied to square footage and include landscaping, labor, concrete, safety surfacing, and shade structuring. The type of outdoor fitness equipment you choose can impact your overall project costs, as the more space your installation requires, the higher your additional costs will be. Keeping your costs per square footage low will impact your bottom line and maximize the area you are using.
The lifetime costs of the project
The initial cost of the equipment and the installation is just one aspect of the project costs. When considering different outdoor fitness equipment options, it is essential to understand the future expenses needed to maintain the equipment. Before purchasing equipment, make sure you know the equipment's warranty period, what is covered under warranty, and what aspects (if any) of the equipment will need replacing. If the equipment has a low-price tag, this is typically a good indicator of how it is made and will have higher lifetime costs than equipment with a higher price tag.