Bolivar Area YMCA eyes new permanent facility

The Bolivar Area YMCA may have just made the move from storefront office to a leased 4,000-square-foot facility, but the staff is keeping their eyes on the property across the street. If all goes as planned, that 17.5-acre plot will be the site of the organization’s first permanent facility, as the leased space is a stepping stone between the original storefront location and the future permanent home for the organization.
So far, things seem to be going smoothly. The city of Bolivar has donated the land commonly referred to as the old airport strip on West Broadway, branch executive Robin Fish said. “We are referring to it as the YMCA campus now,” Fish said.
The decision to donate the land came from city research; in 1999, Bolivar Mayor Charles Ealy appointed a 12-member board to conduct a study on the types of recreational facilities that were needed in the city.
“After much deliberation and study, they decided we needed a YMCA. It fit the bill,” Ealy said.
Benefits of a new YMCA facility include, but are not limited to, the economic: there is a potential to draw from a market that stretches 50 miles east, west, and north of the city, Ealy said.
“That might have been a factor, but not exactly. Actually, the city (donated the land) because of the good it would do for the people here,” Ealy said.
The permanent location is expected to be complete in three phases, with phase I and phase II breaking ground by the end of the year, Fish said.
Phase I, which is expected to cost $2.2 million, will encompass 28,259 square feet and will include a gymnasium, child-care area, offices and fitness space. Phase two, which is expected to come in at $993,713 and 9,295 square feet, will add locker rooms, family changing areas, additional storage, racquetball and handball courts, Fish said.
Even if both phases break ground at the same time, they don’t necessarily have to reach completion by the same date. “Phase one can open first,” Fish said.
The final phase, a $1.02 million, 10,458-square-foot natatorium, which will include pool, whirlpool, steam room and sauna, is expected to begin after the first two phases are complete, Fish said.
Springfield architectural firm Butler, Rosenbury and Partners is designing the project and is currently the architectural firm for all Springfield YMCA projects, said architect and principal Doug Jackson.
It may be too soon to talk about unique features the building will have, however. “As far as the design goes, it’s still in the preliminary stages,” Jackson said.
The key factor contributing to the details – including timing and design – is fund raising. Fish said construction will begin after the organization raises the first $2.2 million needed for phase I. She said that $1.13 million already has been raised, and the Bolivar Area YMCA intends to apply, in conjunction with the Tri-Lakes/Hollister YMCA, for a matching grant that could add $461,250 to the coffers. To apply for the grant, both branches must meet a combined fund-raising goal, and they’re about $200,000 away from hitting the mark. David Hacker, president of the Bolivar YMCA Board of Managers, said much of the money raised has come from donations by individual, business and private foundations.
“When we secure the major contributions … we’ll kick off a more public, local effort,” Hacker said. Those efforts may include fund-raising events, he said.
For now, the Bolivar Area YMCA is settling into its current location, which opened Feb. 28. The move allowed the organization to begin selling memberships for the first time, Fish said.
Previously, the Bolivar YMCA offered youth sports and aquatics, adult sports and fitness, child care, and special events. Most took place at public school and city facilities. Use of those locations will continue, even after the new building is completed, though the additional land and space will allow some programs to take place on-site as well, Hacker said.
Youth soccer and football programs are already being played on the land across the street from the Bolivar YMCA, Fish said.
The membership drive already has surpassed expectations. Initial goals created before the facility opened included 110 family memberships, and as of March 18, the organization had 200 family memberships, Fish said.
While there are other facilities offering health and fitness options within the city, Fish said that most fall into specific niches. The Bolivar Area YMCA’s niche will probably be family and youth. But both the current, temporary facility and the planned facility will also expand the organization’s ability to serve the adult market, Fish said.
Three full-time and two part-time employees were on staff before the move. When the move was made, 12 part-time workers were added, Fish said. Those employees, along with the new members, will be transferred to the YMCA’s permanent home as soon as it’s ready.