OKC FRIDAY Vol. 58 No. 38 • One Section • 14 pages • February 21, 2025
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New $37 mil YMCA slated for construction By Eric Oesch Staff Writer
A 13-acre tract of land at the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave. and Hefner Rd. is to be home of the new 68,000-square-foot YMCA.
The YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City has announced plans to build a $37 million facility to replace the aging Northside YMCA at 10000 N. Pennsylvania Ave. near Casady School. A 13-acre tract of land at the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave. and Hefner Rd. is to be
home of the new 68,000-squarefoot facility. The current Northside Y was constructed on property donated in 1955. Ground was broken on Oct. 26, 1959, and the new YMCA opened in early 1960. At the time the Northside YMCA was on the outskirts of the metro area. The 13-acre property on the southeast corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and Hefner
See YMCA, Page 7
Civic Area big winner at Urban Land Institute Awards
DAR honors Sean Cummings Village resident and business owner, Sean Cummings, was honored by a local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter for his philanthropy in paying student school lunch debt in 40 school districts across the state since March 2024 in memory of his late wife, Cathy Cummings. Cummings paid out $100,000 which was donated by individuals from around the country to erase student lunch debt. Local DAR chapter, Colonel John Starke. Sr. presented Cummings with a national DAR Excellence of Community Service Award during a meet-
Rd. is currently owned by Love’s Travel Stops whose national headquarters is located across the street from the home of the new Northside Y. A statement from Love’s reads: “Love’s owns the 13-acre parcel of land located the intersection of Hefner and Pennsylvania and has entered
By Eric Oesch Staff Writer
From left: Senior Parliamentarian and Village resident Carolyn Rawlings, Sean Cummings and Regent Susan Howard.
ing at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. Cummings spoke and explained the origin of
his efforts and the significance of alleviating lunch debt for students. Daughters of the American Revolution is
Round up helps neighbors in need February is the month of love, and what better way to show kindness than by helping a neighbor in need? The Oklahoma City Utilities Department’s Help 2 Others (H2O) program makes it easy for customers to lend a helping hand by rounding up their monthly water bill to the nearest dollar. The H2O program provides onetime financial assistance to customers to help keep their water flowing. “The need in our community is greater than many people realize,” Utilities Customer Service Superintendent Michelle Lisenby said. “Every month, hundreds of
customers, many of which are families, struggle to pay their water bill, yet only a small percentage of our customers contribute to Help 2 Others. We would love to see more people join in—because even a little bit can make a big difference for the program.” Founded in partnership with the Salvation Army in 2002, H2O is funded exclusively through customer donations. In 2024, Utilities customers raised more than $113,000 to help those in need. Oklahoma State law prohibits municipal utilities from using ratepayer funds to provide See NEED, Page 7
a 135-year-old nonpolitical service organization that promotes historic preservation, education, and patriotism.
The Village Civic Area was recognized as the Outstanding Public Initiative at the 11th Annual Impact Awards ceremonies presented by Urban Land Institute Oklahoma. Awards were presented during ceremonies held at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. Other nominees included the Almonte Library in southwest Oklahoma City, RAPID NW Embark and W.P. Bill Atkinson Park in Midwest City. ULI Oklahoma’s Impact Awards recognizes projects that exemplify best practices in the responsible use of land in creating and sustaining thriving communities. The finalists represent those projects and initiatives determined to best promote the creation of resilient communities, intelligent densification and urbanization, as well as outstanding quality of design and construction. “The Village Civic Area is an ambitious project built through decades of planning efforts,” said Michelle McBeath Lubbers, executive director ULI Oklahoma. “Its nomination and
FRIDAY’s Dog of the Week Tico (2 years) and Kermit (6 months) are domestic shorthairs who live in the Deep Deuce area with their “cat mom” Kelli Nusspickel. Tico loves to explore and would roam wild if given the opportunity. Kermit is totally content to stay indoors and snuggle with anyone who is willing. They have become best friends and love to wrestle, explore, and cuddle with each other. Email Pet of the Week submissions with complete descriptions to: rose@okcfriday.com.
See VILLAGE, Page 2