CRANBERRY TWP — Officials have already launched fundraising efforts for the 2026 Cranberry Township Community Chest Project of the Year.

At a meeting on Thursday, supervisors accepted a $30,000 grant award from the National Fitness Campaign (NFC) Grant Committee and Statewide Partners that will go toward the installation of an outdoor fitness court in Graham Park.

“The staff identified this as an opportunity to replace one of the aging fitness stations in Graham Park and then brought that idea to the (Cranberry Township Community Chest) board as an opportunity for a potential project of the year,” township manager Dan Santoro said during the meeting. “The board has agreed that will be the 2026 project.”

Santoro said the total cost of the project is estimated to be $350,000. He also explained the new facility would include a fitness equipment side and an outdoor studio side.

“The parks and recreation staff is really excited about programming outdoor fitness classes as an expansion of what we do here in Cranberry Township as well as obviously all of the things that come along with partnering with the National Fitness Campaign,” he said.

Throughout the next year, members of the Cranberry Township Community Chest will seek sponsors and hold other fundraising efforts to help pay for the new facility. More information on the project will be announced at the Martinis with Monet event that is set for 7 to 9 p.m. July 9 at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center.

The National Fitness Campaign has helped construct more than 600 courts across the country, with plans to build more than 5,000 outdoor gyms by 2030.

Officials are less than three weeks away from unveiling the completion of the 2024 Project of the Year. A grand opening for the Armstrong Great Lawn is set for 4 to 7 p.m. May 16 at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center.