Hollister YMCA moves forward with capital campaign

Ozarks Regional YMCA CEO Brad Toft said the local community is responsible for raising the funds.

“We are expecting community members (will) recognize the importance of the facility and will step forward and contribute,” he said.

Toft said the 25-member Ozark Mountain Family YMCA board is leading fund-raising efforts.

The branch, located in the Hollister Industrial Park since 2001, will move to eight acres at the southwest corner of U.S. highways 65 and 165. Toft said the new facility will be 30,000 to 50,000 square feet depending on funding, with construction to begin in six to eight months. Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc., of Springfield, is the architect.

A general contractor has not yet been named.

The new facility will feature a gymnasium, fitness center, family wellness center, teen center and nursery, a rock-climbing wall and an exercise studio. Ozark Mountain YMCA employs a full-time staff of four, including executive director Jen Hewitt. There is a part-time staff of about 60 people.