OCCF donates $20,000 for signage, benches and possible lighting for the Gainesville walking trail

Ozark County Wellness Committee member Karen Brantingham, second from right, recently accepted a $20,000 donation from the Ozark County Community Foundation (OCCF) for improvements to the walking trail project the committee started in 2020. The funds will go toward making the trail more accessible for visitors and may also help purchase signage, benches and possible lighting. OCCF members pictured with Brantingham are, from left, board president Kerrie Zubrod and members Mike Breeding and Jessica Blackburn. OCCF donated $25,000  to the project last year. The Ozark County Wellness Committee was formed in 2018 after the Ozark County Health Department was chosen as one of 12 organizations around the state to participate in Building Communities for Better Health, a government-funded program managed through the Centers for Disease Control. With the aid of other grants and donations, the committee has taken on several renovation projects at the Hoerman Memorial Park, which is owned by the city of Gainesville and sits next to Gainesville Elementary School on Highway 160. Updates have included repairing and resurfacing the basketball courts; installing new basketball goals, picnic tables and trash cans; refinishing the former tennis courts and transitioning half of the courts to new pickle ball courts; and building a trail system that connects with the park loop and track and extends into the wooded area near the school’s stadium. The Ozark County Wellness Committee is currently soliciting donations to help fund continuing improvements to the park. Make checks payable to Ozark County Wellness Committee and mail to Ozark County Health Department, P.O. Box 180, Gainesville, MO 65655, or call the OCHD at 417-679-3334 to arrange donation details. 

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423