Kansas Main Street (KMS), an office of the Kansas Department of Commerce, recently announced Kelly Gourley of Lincoln received a Kansas Preservation Honor Award with Distinction for her Post Rock Fitness project in Lincoln.
“As the Lincoln County Economic Development Director, Kelly not only talks the talk, but walks the walk by investing her own money in her downtown community!” wrote KMS, adding the Office of Rural Prosperity and Kansas Department of Commerce are proud to have assisted her in this project.
Since Gourley has been in Lincoln, she has focused on ways not only to bring commerce and visitors to the area, but also in building the quality- of-life residents desired. Several polls were distributed throughout the community over the years, along with public meetings, with the need and desire for a local fitness center repeatedly being reported.
Several ideas floated through the town, none of which became reality. Gourley was convinced she could, and should, do something on a personal level to contribute to the improvements being made in the county, and began investigating the feasibility of creating a fitness center. With several empty commercial buildings, she was convinced she could renovate and create something that could help provide a healthy lifestyle for residents. She received a HEAL (historic economic asset lifeline) grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce which provided matching grant funds to revitalize underutilized, vacant or dilapidated downtown buildings. She purchased a building that was once a grocery store, and later a five-and-dime, and gathered a team of professionals including architect Bruce McMillan, engineers Malicoat- Winslow and contractor Wiens & Co. before she commenced to build a modern fitness center for the community. It took several months to pro vide the necessary data reports to proceed.
The result is a beautiful state-of-the-art fitness center in the middle of historic downtown Lincoln. The building was fully restored, with the original tin tile ceiling left intact. Weights, treadmills, recumbent equipment and classes that include yoga, boot camp and Active Aging are available at the center. Members have 24hour access seven days a week through an electronic system that gains them entry. Not only is the center functional, Gourley has plants that help beautify the facility.
Several levels of membership are available including pay-by-use plans, no contract monthly plans, contract monthly plans and annual plans, all of which include community yoga once per week. Corporate memberships are also available, as well as a variety of limited time specials.
For more information, see their Facebook page (Post Rock Fitness) or website (PostRockFitness.com).
