Latest news with #Koncilja
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Future of Pueblo City Park Bathhouse is uncertain
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — At a recent Pueblo City Council meeting, a Friends of City Park representative used public comment to express frustration with the City's decision not to award a management agreement for the City Park Bathhouse facility. 'Forget about the time we spent, countless hours of the city staff wasted preparing this, answering questions related to it, conducting multiple site visits, and ultimately evaluating,' George Koncilja, President of Friends of City Park, explained. 'All a complete waste if we were set up to be rejected all along.' The bathhouse, constructed during the Works Progress Administration (WPA) era around the time of the Great Depression, has suffered from significant structural issues related to groundwater infiltration and unstable soil conditions. These issues, combined with the need for modern amenities and ADA accessibility, led to the City's decision to seek updates to the bathhouse to serve future generations. After many failed funding attempts, the city created a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to find a partner who could take full responsibility for restoring and operating the bathhouse without additional burden to taxpayers. 'Ultimately, we were the only ones to respond,' Koncilja said. 'We exceeded what was asked of us. We were rejected, however, because of four specific points.' The proposal wanted historical designation for the facility, which the City Council had previously rejected. It also failed to meet restroom requirements, something Mayor Heather Graham explained on her podcast, 'The Mayor's Mixtape.' 'The city asked for a certain amount of restrooms to be provided based off capacity in the area with the tennis courts, with the state tournaments that come down,' Mayor Graham said. 'That was not met.' The President of Friends of City Park said he attended the most recent tennis tournament at the facility, where he claims there was never a line of people waiting for the restrooms. 'There's absolutely no need to have 15 toilet fixtures in that facility,' Koncilja explained. 'Our proposal would more than double what they currently have for fixture count to five men's and five women's. Far more than enough for the average day.' Pueblo Mayor responds to failed bath house funding City staff said that while grassroots efforts of the community are welcome and encouraged to preserve the bathhouse facility, adherence to the requirements of the RFP is essential for the responsible operation and ongoing maintenance of the building. After the latest funding attempt, where the Steel City goes from here is uncertain. 'It's really going to be up to the City Council if they want to dedicate general fund dollars,' Mayor Graham explained. While one Pueblo City Council Member said he is ready to move on entirely. 'I think there are many more productive things we could be focusing on, much more important issues in the City that we could be focusing on.' Brett Boston, Pueblo City Council, Representative at Large, said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Arab Times
13-02-2025
- Health
- Arab Times
Fish oil and exercise could help slow aging, new study finds
NEW YORK, Feb 13: A recent study has found that fish oil supplements, also known as omega-3, may slow biological aging. Researchers also discovered that combining fish oil with vitamin D supplements and regular exercise had an even more significant impact on slowing down the aging process. 'Biological aging is the normal changes which happen as our body adapts to all the exposure of time,' said Dr. Kenneth Koncilja, a geriatrician at Cleveland Clinic, in an interview with Verywell. However, he emphasized that biological age is not the same as chronological age, which refers to the number of years a person has lived. 'Biological age is a measure of overall health and wellness,' Koncilja explained. Two individuals of the same chronological age may have different biological ages. As biological age increases, the body may become less efficient and functional. 'There are changes to the biology of cells in our body, and that is from external damage, inherent genetic changes, dysfunction in organelles, and changes in the environment,' Koncilja said. The study, published in Nature Aging, tracked 777 people over the age of 70 and measured their biological age using epigenetic clocks. These clocks assess how old a person appears at the cellular level. Participants were divided into different groups, each trying various interventions, including a daily vitamin D supplement (2,000 IU), a daily omega-3 supplement (one gram), and 30 minutes of strength training three times a week. After three years, the biological ages of those who took omega-3 supplements increased by only two years and eight months. This suggested that omega-3 supplements may slow down the aging process. Furthermore, the study showed that strength training combined with vitamin D supplements and omega-3 had an even greater effect on biological aging. These three interventions were also linked to a reduced risk of infections, falls, premature frailty, and cancer. According to Dr. Marie van der Merwe, PhD, a coordinator of the applied physiology and nutrition doctoral program at the University of Memphis, omega-3 supplements may slow biological aging due to their ability to combat inflammation. 'Inflammation actually makes you age faster,' van der Merwe explained. 'By reducing inflammation, you're kind of improving cellular health.' However, the study authors noted that more research is needed, as the technology used to measure biological aging may not capture the full complexity of the aging process. 'We still need to study this further,' the authors stated. When it comes to supplements, more is not necessarily better. If you have already been taking omega-3 and vitamin D, Dr. van der Merwe advises against increasing the dosages based on the results of this study. 'If you haven't been taking these supplements, it's important to first discuss them with your primary care doctor,' Koncilja recommended. He also pointed out that exercise is beneficial for everyone. 'I do think this also supports the benefits of aggressive, progressive daily exercise for all age groups,' Koncilja added.
