Published: May 12, 2008 04:00 am         

On The Bright Side: SUNY Delhi students put final touches on fitness trail

A fitness trail behind the Margaretville Central School will be finished this week thanks a group of SUNY Delhi students lending a hand to complete the project.

Margaretville Superintendent John Riedl said the project was sidetracked temporarily last year.

"During the 2006-07 school year, Margaretville Central School physical education teachers worked with the AmeriCorps program at Delhi College to build elements for a fitness trail behind the school and the Village River Walk," Riedl said.

The project had not been completed when it was announced that Americorps was not receiving funding for the coming year.

Dave DeForest, who had served as the AmeriCorps director, took a teaching position at the State University College of Technology at Delhi and decided to make the trail a project for his Parks and Recreation Service Learning class.

"We began the AmeriCorps project at the end of the term last year and when our funding didn't come through, I decided to give the Parks and Rec kids a chance to get out in the field," DeForest said Friday.

DeForest worked with MCS teacher Jim Owdienko to complete the missing elements this year, Riedl said.

DeForest said his students built a bridge to cross a stream and constructed two fitness elements including a Mohawk trail and a ropes element that involves climbing a cargo net to reach a platform.

DeForest said the Mohawk trail consists of cables that are knee high, which require teamwork to move from one end of the trail to the other.

The fitness trail connects to the Village River Walk, by crossing the road in front of the school, DeForest said.

DeForest said the students, Dustin Fisher, Ryan McGlinchey, Matt Porebski, Jerrid Leo, Shari Weiss and Lindsay Smith, will be going back to Margaretville on Wednesday to do the finishing work on the project, which will then be open for use by the students and the public.

"Thanks to Delhi for the transportation and the students in Dave DeForest's Parks and Recreation Service Learning Class," Riedl said.