I meet late morning today with the Benton County Board of Commissioners at the suggestion of Alsea Community Effort and the Director of Benton County Health Department to begin dialogue for the need for safe off road trails and a community center in Alsea.
Adults and youth need a safe place to exercise to prevent health problems. A community center with gym equipment, and trail, at least the distance of a 10K, that is a safe distance from the highway would add so much for all people in the Alsea area.
With escalating gas prices, trips into Corvallis are more difficult for many. Corvallis is 45 minutes away from Alsea. Now people either drive into Corvallis and Philomath to exercise at a gym or athletic club, exercise at home with personal exercise equipment, or walk or ride a bike in the road competing with trucks and cars.
Alpine has it's own community center. Alsea needs a community center making it possible for community theater, a community band, a place to house exercise equipment, and more. It would be fun to see a skateboard park for the youth or a roller rink. A trail along the Alsea River connecting the parks that is paved, like Green Lake in Seattle, would be ideal for youth to rollerblade, ride bikes, skateboard, and at the same time leave room for walkers and runners.
The need for exercise is well documented. Some of the reasons are that it is necessary for physical fitness and good health, improves appearance, delays the aging process, weight loss, reduces stress, reduces isolation, prevents osteoporosis, prevents cardiovascular disease, reduces risk of cancer, reduces high blood pressure, reduces risk of diabetes, improves quality of life, helps you sleep better, helps to improve resistance to fight infections, helps your brain work better, making you smarter, and it is dangerous for people with arthritis NOT to exercise.
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