YMCA in Bentonville?
Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/34124/
BENTONVILLE — Key officials want to bring a YMCA to the city — and after meeting with directors from Missouri on Monday and Tuesday, the YMCA may become a reality.
Jenny Holweger, executive director of the Freeman Southwest Family YMCA in Neosho, Mo., visited with a number of local officials to gauge interest in a local facility. "We met with some community leaders Monday and Tuesday of this week to establish the basis for a feasibility study (to) determine the environment for a possible Y (in Bentonville)," Holweger said.
Bentonville Alderman Chris Sooter has wanted to see a YMCA in Bentonville for the past two years.
It all began when Sooter took a business trip to Wichita, Kan., where he came across "this humongous building" that had a number of corporately sponsored features, like "the Coleman Recreation Climbing Wall and the Pepsi Swimming Pool and... all these major company names sponsoring different pieces of it."
It was the city’s YMCA, and Sooter immediately thought the facility "would be perfect for Bentonville, and if it can be done anywhere, it can be done in Bentonville," he said.
Sooter sat on the idea for a little while — until he interviewed Kalene Griffith, who would become the Bentonville Advertising and Promotion Commission’s president.
Griffith came to the A&P after serving as executive director of the YMCA of Callaway County in Fulton, Mo.
After speaking with Sooter, Griffith got the city in touch with the Neosho facility, which umbrellas itself over Bentonville.
Griffith said it’s been a mostly personal effort to bring the YMCA to Bentonville. "The YMCA’s motto is, ‘We build strong kids, strong families and strong communities.’ Who wouldn’t want all of those things?" Griffith said. "Those are all great assets to any community."
Bentonville Parks Director Doug Glaysher was one of many interviewed by the Neosho officials. "If they come down and build an indoor facility with a swimming pool and game rooms, basketball courts, things of that nature — that can add to what’s already here," Glaysher said.
Teresa Walch, chief professional officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Benton County, was also interviewed for the possible study. While she’s not certain what it can do for the Boys and Girls Club, she thinks a YMCA would be an asset to the community. "Five hundred twenty-three children move into Benton County every month. There’s a need for services for families. I’m just trying to think of ways and maybe some things where we can partner (with the YMCA)," she said.
Sooter said the findings from these interviews will be revealed in approximately three weeks. From there, Sooter hopes to help form a board of directors "for a YMCA to get off the ground." The board would then make a goal to raise $400,000 over the next three years to hire a director for the new YMCA.
Sooter said potential locations for a YMCA include city-owned park space or the Northwest Arkansas Community College campus. No potential locations have been officially named.