LEAD PHOTO: Bicycle riders from Ashland Folks on Spokes take a lunch break recently at Flat Branch Pub and Brewing in Columbia. The group of bike riders gets together each week on Thursdays or Fridays to ride parts of the Katy Trail or, in this case, the MKT Trail. To learn more, contact Rich Ward, richsward@aol.com

LEAD STORY

The Ashland Board of Alderman held a public hearing on an annexation of 15 acres of land designated for new Southern Boone Area YMCA construction at the August 7 board meeting.

Representatives of the YMCA attended the meeting to answer questions and show support for the annexation. The YMCA, which has leased a building off of Broadway since its opening three years ago, has seen membership sales far exceed expectations. There are about 850 current family memberships, and while the Y has not turned anyone away from obtaining a membership, space is filling up and many classes are sold out quickly.

Carl Frieling, a member of the YMCA advisory board, reported to the aldermen that in order to begin with phase one of the project, about 50% of the funds still needed to be raised.

“And we have some decisions to make. One of the things we’d like to have is a FEMA ready storm shelter under it. We have those two schools right there without one and we could put one in big enough to hold everyone at those schools,” he said. The storm shelter, if built, would be a part of the phase one construction.

~ Read more in today’s Journal ~

By Briley Eilers

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