OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and OKC City Council members gathered to celebrate the opening of the new MAPS 3 Senior Health and Wellness Center at NE 36th Street and Lincoln Boulevard.
City leaders cut the ribbon on the new wellness center on Dec. 7, a day ahead of the center’s official opening.
The new wellness center is the third MAPS-funded wellness center. It is specifically funded by MAPS 3, a $777 million, debt-free capital improvement program that is funded by a 1-cent sales tax initiative that began in April 2010 and ended in December 2017. The original MAPS kicked off in 1993. The purpose of the MAPS programs is to improve quality of life in Oklahoma City.
“The MAPS senior wellness centers have proven to be life-changing, connecting Oklahoma City’s seniors to wellness, recreational and social opportunities,” Holt said. “The addition of this new wellness center in northeast Oklahoma City represents a significant MAPS 3 investment in our senior residents and our community as a whole.”
People ages 50 and up can make social connections at the wellness center.
“Community engagement is at the heart of this Wellness Center,” Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice said. “I look forward to watching the center flourish under Community Health Centers of Oklahoma’s leadership.”
The facility – built by W.L. McNatt and designed by Hornbeek Blatt Architects – has the following features:
- 44,810-square-feet
- Heated lap and therapy pool
- Spacious fitnes center
- Gym
- Elevated indoor walking/jogging track
- Classroom space
- Recreational and sports activities
- Health clinic
“Our organization is dedicated to overseeing this new facility and ensuring it becomes a thriving space for our city’s seniors,” Community Health Centers CEO Isabella Lawson said. “This new wellness center will provide Oklahoma City seniors with affordable access to amenities and services they need to stay active, fit and healthy.”
The Center features a multi-media physical artwork installation titled Seeds of Change which encourages visitors to explore and add to a digital library of community history in historically Black east Oklahoma City. Langston University and the OKC Arts Commission recognized Seeds of Change as an educational resource. The city’s 1% for Arts Program funded Seeds of Change, which was created by a local team led by Anton Morton with collaborators Nick Bayer, Eric Sourie, Keaton Towns and Pamela Zeljak.
MAPS 3 is also funding a fourth wellness center at 13660 S Western Ave. That center will be operated by the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City. It is scheduled for completion in 2024.
In addition to the Senior Health and Wellness Centers, MAPS 3 also funds the following projects:
- Downtown Convention Center
- Downtown Public Park
- Modern Streetcar/Transit
- Oklahoma River Improvements
- Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements
- Trails
- Sidewalks
MAPS 4 includes $16.7 million to build a fifth wellness center.
