Ozarks Regional YMCA seeks sale of downtown property

The Ozarks Regional YMCA is seeking to sell its downtown gym.

Gerald Zamora of Zamora Real Estate said he was hired as listing agent for the building at 417 S. Jefferson Ave. While the roughly 62,000-square-foot property has been on the market for a few weeks with an asking price of $4.5 million, he said he plans to begin marketing the building in earnest today.

The Springfield, Missouri History, Landmarks & Vintage photography Facebook group was first to post a letter issued to members from Kathryn Custer, CEO of Ozarks Regional YMCA. OzarksFirst.com also has published a copy of the letter sent to members.

"As we look toward the future, declining membership usage at this particular facility and the increasing costs associated with maintaining a 100-plus year old building, the ORYMCA Association is considering all options available to balance meeting the needs of our members, with sound financial stewardship. This necessitates an exploration of all financial strategies available," the letter from Custer reads. "A condition of the sale will include an agreeable outcome for relocating all or part of the current ORYMCA operations in the building. At this point in time, ORYMCA has not made any decisions regarding the final sale of the building."

An employee who answered the phone at the Ward Downtown YMCA housed in the building confirmed the validity of the letter. The employee directed further questions to a YMCA email address, but questions were not answered by deadline.

Custer also could not be reached for comment by deadline.

"Regardless of the outcome, our members who primarily use the Downtown Ward YMCA will still be able to use our other ORYMCA branches across the Ozarks," the letter reads.

In Springfield, the YMCA also has the Pat Jones gym on East Republic Road. The Ozarks Regional YMCA additionally operates locations in Cassville, Dallas County, Hollister, Lebanon and Monett, as well as YMCA Camp Wakonda, according to its website.