Efforts to build a new Ashland branch of the Jefferson City Area YMCA gained momentum last week after the group received a grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
The Jefferson City Area YMCA is nearing the halfway point in fundraising efforts to build a new Ashland branch. Branch Director Kip Batye said the 15,714-square-foot facility will have a new fitness center, child care center and yoga studio.
Currently, the YMCA's Ashland branch sits in a leased 7,000-square-foot-space at 101 W. Broadway in Ashland. The YMCA started fundraising in March and is approaching $1.1 million of the $2.8 million it needs to build the facility.
"We've outgrown the space," Batye said.
The Jefferson City Area YMCA has three branches in Jefferson City at 525 Ellis Blvd., 424 Stadium Blvd. and 3507 Amazonas Drive. The Ashland branch serves about 2,500 members from around the Jefferson City area.
"We pull from outside of Ashland," he said. "We have a lot of members from Hartsburg, southern Columbia even, so we pull from within about a 15-mile radius."
On Dec. 6, the DED awarded $4.7 million in grants from its Neighborhood Assistance Program, which helps raise private-sector funds by providing 50 or 70 percent tax credits to businesses that make contributions to community improvement projects.
In all, Batye said, the DED grant helped the Ashland branch raise $350,000. Veterans United Home Loans in Columbia and Mizzou Therapy Services have also been significant donors, Batye said.
The Ashland branch purchased land at 405 S. Main St. in Ashland near Jose Jalapenos Mexican restaurant at 503 Henry Clay Blvd.
This will be phase one of what could eventually become a four-phase project. In the next phase, two basketball courts and an elevated running space could be added, Batye said. Phases three and four could add space for more programs and an aquatic center, Batye said.
If all goes well, the YMCA hopes to start construction on the new Ashland facility sometime in 2019 and open the space in 2020, Batye said.
"Over the next 15-20 years, we'll probably be looking to add on to our facility," he said.