Hollister
– The San Benito County YMCA has lost Executive Director Lou
Bettencourt, but YMCA representatives said plans are moving forward
for a new 85,000-square-foot facility.
Hollister – The San Benito County YMCA has lost Executive Director Lou Bettencourt, but YMCA representatives said plans are moving forward for a new 85,000-square-foot facility.
“We haven’t put the brakes on,” said Margie Barrios, chairwoman of the local YMCA’s board of directors.
Board member Annette Giacomazzi said the YMCA has formed two committees: one focused on preparing conceptual drawings of the proposed facility and the other on identifying potential donors to supply the funding needed for the $12.8 million building.
“Expect a number of announcements later this summer,” Giacomazzi said. “We’ll have community focus groups for people to get involved when we get further down the path.”
The board doesn’t have a timeline for moving the project forward, Barrios said.
It’s a time of transition, she said, because Lou Bettencourt retired in April after spending seven years as executive director.
The board has selected a replacement, but the director’s name won’t be released until July, Barrios said.
She added that the project really should start rolling once the new director takes over. But even without an executive, the YMCA hasn’t shut down, as this year’s summer camp just started.
Barrios said Central Coast YMCA CEO Sharon Gish has been pitching in to run the San Benito County office.
“We’ve got our hands full,” Barrios said.
In June 2006, the Hollister School District voted to sell 7.5 surplus acres next to Ladd Lane School for the proposed YMCA facility. The center is expected to include basketball and racquetball courts, at least two swimming pools, fitness equipment, and sauna and steam rooms.
For his part, Bettencourt said as he’s enjoying semi-retirement in New Mexico, he remains optimistic about the new facility’s progress.
“One of the things that was critical for me in moving on was that it didn’t slow anything down,” Bettencourt said.
The executive director’s job was supposed to last just three to five years, Bettencourt said. He eventually left after a friend offered him a half-time position in a New Mexico development firm and kept the position open for a year.
“It was too good to be true,” Bettencourt said, adding, “I certainly do miss the people of Hollister.”
