By Susan Monteleone
ELDRED — June 6, 2006 – Eldred Central School Superintendent Ivan Katz recently announced that the Town of Lumberland had generously donated funds to the school’s new fitness center, which will allow longer hours for public use.
“The District was the recipient of a federal grant entitled the Carol M. White Physical Education Grant,” Katz said. “The grant is worth over $300,000 to the school district over three years. Part of the grant was devoted to opening a fitness center so that community members could exercise free of charge. Since the grant monies were limited, the school district was limited relative to after school hours of operation. The center was open to the public Tuesdays through Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“The fitness center membership skyrocketed as soon as the doors opened, with well over 100 members of the community involved,” Katz added. “Additional hours were requested from the community.”
It was then that Katz met with Town of Lumberland Supervisor John LiGreci and school officials to see if the Town of Lumberland could help out.
After that meeting, according to Katz, LiGreci and the Lumberland Town Board approved a resolution to support additional hours for the fitness center. Lumberland contributed roughly $8,000 to the cause. With the donation, the new hours of the center are from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The center is open to all residents of the Eldred Central School district.