Plans announced for new Midwest City YMCA

Proposed 74,000-square-foot facility to be built near SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – Midwest

By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon

Efforts to build a new Midwest City YMCA took a big step forward.

The City of Midwest City, Mid-Del Public Schools, SSM Health and YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City announced a partnership to fund a new YMCA in Midwest City. The proposed 74,000-square-foot facility would be built near SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – Midwest and be part of the redevelopment of the hospital district, called Plaza 62.

A new YMCA would include a swimming pool with a separate children’s area, fitness area, gyms, childcare center, rehabilitation facility and other amenities.

The project is estimated to cost more than $40 million and will be funded by the parties. They will enter into a memorandum of agreement that outlines funding and conditions for the project.

Design and engineering for the project is expected to begin soon with construction tentatively slated for late 2025 or early 2026.

The City of Midwest City will own the building and contract with the YMCA for operations. Mid-Del Schools will own the swimming pool. The new YMCA will fill the need for a modern indoor recreational facility.

“We have needed a community recreational facility like this for the last 25 or 30 years,” said Tim Lyon, city manager. “We have great parks and a great trail system but we don’t have a recreation facility here.”

Mid-Del Schools will provide $10 million from a 2023 bond issue for construction of the swimming pool. It will also provide $70,000 annually for maintenance. Mid-Del swimming teams will use the pool for practice and competitions.

Superintendent Rick Cobb said he is grateful for support from voters and partners in making a new pool a reality.

“When we began planning in 2022 for the 2023 bond election, we went to the City and the Y to see if a commitment was possible. Without having a written agreement in place, we took a leap of faith including the aquatic center in the bond, which passed with more than 75% approval. This MOU adds SSM Healthcare as a partner and gets us one step closer to building a new YMCA for this community, and one step closer to having a permanent training facility for our swim teams. This is truly an exciting time for all of us.”

SSM will lease space for a physical rehabilitation center that will be included in the new YMCA.

The Midwest City Memorial Hospital Authority will contribute $15 million for the project. The city can tap into the public trust funds because the hospital is part of the project.

“For us to access money for something like the YMCA there has to be a medical purpose,” Lyon said. “I approached Stacy Coleman (president of SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – Midwest) and Joe Hodges (Regional President of SSM Health Oklahoma) with SSM and they were very positive about a potential partnership.”

Coleman said SSM is proud to be part of the partnership.

“We are excited to be a part of the collaboration for a new YMCA in Midwest City,” she said. “Our organization has a long-standing tradition of ‘digging in and building up’ in the communities we serve, and this project will be a key piece to the hospital district redevelopment project. The new YMCA will serve as a beacon of health and wellness for Eastern Oklahoma County.”

Midwest City and the Authority will provide the property for the new YMCA, located on the northeast corner of Parklawn Dr. and National Ave. The city will also pursue federal funding to assist with the project. City officials are seeking $5 to 10 million in Federal Community Project Grants, and a $10 million Defense Community Improvement Project grant.

The YMCA agreed to borrow up to $15 million for the project. That total includes proceeds from the sale of the current facility.

Kelly Kay, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City, said they are looking forward to building a modern facility for Midwest City and released the following statement:

“We are honored to be part of this transformative project for Midwest City and the surrounding communities. The Midwest City YMCA has been a vital institution for the past 60 years, serving a growing population and providing programs and services that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

Providing the Midwest City community with a modern facility has been a dream of ours for years. This project represents not only an investment in health and wellness but also our belief in the growth and vibrancy of Midwest City. The new Y will serve as a community hub and demonstrates what can be accomplished when we pool our resources together to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

The Y has long-standing partnerships with SSM Health Midwest, the Mid-Del Independent School District, and the City of Midwest City. So many people have worked tirelessly on this project and this is a huge milestone to make our collective vision a reality.  We are eternally grateful and blessed to have such dedicated, supportive and passionate partners who have come together for such an important undertaking.”

Midwest City and the YMCA have been working for several years to bring a new facility to the community. The current Midwest City YMCA, 2817 N. Woodcrest Dr., opened in 1960. The project stalled over lack of funding.

Talks picked up again a couple years ago when Mid-Del Schools included it as part of a bond election. Midwest City agreed to contribute land for the project but began exploring additional funding options including applying for federal grants. Other potential sites included city owned property on SE 29th St. near Douglas Blvd., the former Sears buildings at Heritage Park Mall, and west of the Reno Swim and Slide at Joe B. Barnes Regional Park.

After the city was unsuccessful in landing the grants, Lyon said they went back to the drawing board and approached SSM about a partnership with the hospital. The YMCA also pledged up to $15 million which helped the project move forward.

“Even though there are still some hurdles with the financing, I feel like we have enough money pledged right now that we can move forward,” Lyon said.

Lyon thanked Mayor Matt Dukes and the city council for their support in the project.

“I give them a lot of credit for allowing staff to work on this and come up with some pathways so this can come to fruition,” Lyon said. “To see the council come together in unity in support of something so important to our community shows vision.”

To celebrate the new partnership, a special Signing Day Event will be held at 3 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10, in the Midwest City YMCA located at 2817 N. Woodcrest Drive. Representatives from Midwest City, Mid-Del, SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – Midwest, and the YMCA will all be present to officially announce their commitment to the project.

A public meeting to discuss the project will also be announced in the near future. The meeting will provide more specifics about the new YMCA, the plans for the surrounding hospital district and a possible timeline for development.