About The Rochester Community
Rochester, Minnesota is a growing and dynamic city that has evolved from a historic river community into a regional hub for health, education, and quality of life.
Rochester is a city that takes health seriously — home to one of the world’s most respected medical institutions and a community that has built 84 parks and open spaces for its residents to enjoy. And yet, one in five Rochester adults are physically inactive. At Soldier Memorial Field, a beloved and well-located park just blocks from schools, trails, and transit, a FitLot outdoor fitness park would give the neighbors who already walk these paths, the older adults who want to stay strong and independent, and the caregivers who steal twenty minutes for themselves a dedicated place to move — free, welcoming, and without a membership card. This is the right park, in the right place, at the right moment.
Soldiers Field Memorial Park
Located in the heart of Rochester, Soldiers Field Memorial Park is one of the city’s most
prominent and heavily used public spaces. The park serves as a year-round destination
for residents and visitors alike.
Soldiers Field offers a wide range of amenities, including:
-A newly renovated aquatic center
-Walking and biking trails
-Athletic fields and courts
-Playground areas and open green space
-Picnic shelters and community gathering areas
As a central, accessible park with high visibility and usage, Soldiers Field is an ideal
location for a community fitness space that welcomes people of all ages, abilities, and
fitness levels.
8,200
Residents within a 10-min walk
22,500
Residents within a 20-min walk
Across Rochester, 20.4 percent of adults are physically inactive — a figure that sits below the state average of 22.4 percent and well below the national rate of 25.3 percent, which reflects genuine community effort. Even so, nearly 29 percent of Rochester adults are living with obesity, and the Mayo Clinic’s own Community Health Needs Assessment identifies physical inactivity and obesity as significant health concerns with disparate impacts on low-income and racially diverse residents who face real barriers to accessing safe recreational spaces. A free, outdoor, always-open fitness park does not solve those disparities alone — but the research is clear that when accessible fitness spaces exist in a neighborhood, more residents use them, and more movement is one of the most powerful tools available for reducing chronic disease risk at the population level.
The Olmsted County Community Health Improvement Plan 2023–2027
Identifies the health priorities and action goals for this community and identifies physical activity, chronic disease prevention, and health equity as priority areas. The plan emphasizes the need for built environment improvements and equitable access to recreational facilities as strategies to address obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease disparities.
Relevant Goals and Action Items: “Improving access to physical activity opportunities, particularly in underserved neighborhoods, is a key strategy for reducing chronic disease burden and health disparities in Olmsted County.” – Olmsted County Public Health, 2023
- Increase access to safe, affordable opportunities for physical activity in all communities
- Reduce disparities in chronic disease rates including obesity and diabetes
- Improve built environment to support active living and reduce health inequities
- Increase proportion of adults meeting physical activity guidelines
The Mayo Clinic Community Health Needs Assessment 2022 covers Olmsted County / Rochester, MN and identified the following as the most significant community health needs:
- Mental health and substance use
- Chronic disease prevention and management
- Social determinants of health and health equity
- Access to care
- Physical activity and healthy weight
- “Physical inactivity and obesity remain significant health concerns in the Rochester area, with disparate impacts on low-income and racially diverse populations who face barriers to accessing safe recreational spaces.”
- “Health disparities linked to race, income, and neighborhood continue to drive inequitable health outcomes in Olmsted County, requiring targeted investments in communities with greatest need.”
Rochester Parks and Recreation
The Rochester community has made a genuine investment in play spaces for young people, with approximately 47 playgrounds spread across the city’s 84 parks — a real commitment to the next generation. The adults, older residents, and caregivers in the Soldier Memorial Field neighborhood deserve the same: a free, always-open space designed for their bodies, their schedules, and their lives, within walking distance of home. A FitLot is exactly that space — and right now, there is nothing like it anywhere in Rochester’s outdoor park system.
In 2023, Rochester Parks and Recreation began working with Age Friendly Olmsted County’s to make the community more welcoming, accessible, and supportive for people of all ages. The collaboration reflects a shared understanding that parks, trails, recreation programs, and public spaces are essential to healthy aging and overall community well-being.
Rochester Parks and Recreation has advanced age-friendly priorities by supporting opportunities for older adults to remain active, connected, and engaged in community life. Its work aligns closely with Age Friendly Olmsted County’s goals related to outdoor spaces, social participation, health, mobility, and inclusion. A notable example of this collaboration is the Park Board’s approval of the FitLot donation. This action reflects a tangible commitment to creating accessible, intergenerational spaces that promote physical activity, strength, and social connection.
Rochester Parks and Recreation working with Age Friendly Olmsted County helps ensure that both the design of public spaces considers the needs of older adults while benefiting people across the lifespan. Overall, collaboration demonstrates how local government and community-based age-friendly efforts can work together to build a more livable, connected, and accessible Rochester.
Key community characteristics that make this project especially impactful:
-A rapidly growing and diversifying population
-A strong culture of health and wellness
-An extensive park and trail system (100+ parks and 85 miles of trails)
-A commitment to becoming an age-friendly community
At the same time, like many communities, Rochester faces challenges:
-Increasing rates of social isolation, especially among older adults
-Health disparities related to access, mobility, and income
-A growing need for free, accessible opportunities for physical activity
The FitLot project directly addresses these needs.
About FitLot
FitLot is a New Orleans based national non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping communities find the resources they need to plan, build and program outdoor fitness parks.
FitLot is thrilled to be supporting Family Service Rochester in their efforts to create access to an outdoor fitness park for the residents of Olmsted County.
The FitLot Fitness Park will ensure a stronger future for individual residents and for the community as a whole.
This FitLot will be donated to the Rochester Parks and Recreation Department so that it is owned and maintained by the community long term.
FitLot Equipment Details
About Age-Friendly Olmsted County (AFOC)
Age-Friendly Olmsted County, led by FSR, is part of a global movement to make
communities more livable for people of all ages. Locally, AFOC works across
sectors including public health, planning, transportation, parks, and community services to
create environments that support:
-Healthy aging
-Social connection
-Safe, accessible public spaces
-Opportunities for physical activity and engagement
AFOC has developed a strong partnership with the City of Rochester, particularly with the Parks and Recreation Department, to incorporate an “all ages and abilities” lens into park planning and community engagement. The proposed FitLot at Soldiers Field represents a natural extension of this work, bringing age-friendly design into one of Rochester’s most central and well used parks.
Sponsorship Benefits
Sponsoring a FitLot Outdoor Fitness Park makes a statement that you are truly dedicated to the long term health of the community you serve. People will interact with these public spaces multiple times a week to improve their health and quality of life for the next 20 years.
Logo Recognition and Custom Colors
The welcome sign, safety surfacing, and shade canopy all provide opportunities for sponsor recognition and logo placements.
In addition, park equipment can feature a custom color palette to match the branding of the sponsor.
Public Relations
FitLot park projects have been featured over 700 times by hundreds of media outlets, highlighting partnerships with cities, parks departments, health systems, and community organizations.
This level of earned media reflects strong editorial trust and ongoing public interest in FitLot’s mission.
Media coverage typically accompanies FitLot park installations and ongoing programming, helping normalize outdoor fitness infrastructure as a public health intervention at the community level while also reinforcing FitLot’s position as a national supporter of outdoor fitness parks and programs.
FitLot also maintains an active social presence across major platforms, reinforcing park installations and community programming through instructional content and partner recognition.
FitLot social content has generated tens of thousands of interactions over time, primarily driven by instructional and community-based posts.
Letters Of Support
This park is beeing planned in partnership with:
Family Service Rochester
For more than 60 years, FSR has been a trusted, community-based nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals and families build better lives. Founded in 1965, FSR began with a simple but powerful mission: to support the dignity and quality of life for people in our community.
Today, FSR serves Southeast Minnesota through more than 30 programs focused on:
-Mental health and well-being
-Family stability and child well-being
-Senior independence and aging in place
-Community-building initiatives like Age-Friendly Olmsted County
Through programs such as Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, home safety, and Age-
Friendly Olmsted County, FSR plays a leading role in ensuring older adults and people
of all abilities can remain active, connected, and independent in their communities.
