Parks and Recreation Department to operate ‘Ponca City RecPlex’ Jan. 2

On Dec. 7, 2018, the Mayor and Board of Commissioners of the City of Ponca City and the YMCA of Ponca City Board of Directors came to a mutual agreement for the future operations of the Ponca City Aquatic and Family Center-YMCA.

Effective Jan. 2, 2019, the City of Ponca will open the facility.  The Parks and Recreation Department will be responsible for the overall operations of the whole recreation complex, which includes the softball and baseball fields.

City Manager Craig Stephenson stated, “The City wants to assure the community that the jewel they voted to build on the west side of Ponca City will be fully operational.  The City will be rebranding this site the ‘Ponca City RecPlex’.  Beginning Jan. 2, 2019, the Ponca City RecPlex will have new hours of operation, a new fee structure, and a new operations model.  Regular updates will be provided to the public as information becomes available in the coming weeks.”

Stephenson concluded, “Our goal is to make this a smooth transition and provide quality services that meet the needs of our community.”

Jennie Hinterreiter, Board President for the Ponca City YMCA, signed the agreement on behalf of the YMCA.

“Sometimes a call to change or reorganization is necessary in order to ensure that a community continues to thrive,” Hinterreiter said. “Over the past 4 years, the Ponca City YMCA has seen a significant reduction in revenue that has affected our long-term sustainability. The current board of directors has made the difficult but necessary decision to no longer operate the facility at 1604 West Grand. A transitional agreement has been made for the City of Ponca City to begin operating the facility effective Jan. 2, 2019. Information regarding usage of the facility after Dec. 31 will be provided to the public by the City of Ponca City in days to come.

“The YMCA will continue to operate the After School Care program for the spring semester from the facility at 1604 West Grand,” she said. “The board is evaluating future YMCA programming in Ponca City.

“The YMCA has been serving the citizens of Ponca City for over 60 years. We appreciate every single member for their support and dedication as well as the individuals and businesses that have donated to the YMCA. The board of directors wants to express our sincere gratitude in your choosing the YMCA to be a part of your lives.”

Hinterreiter said the YMCA Board’s hope is to ensure long-term child care in Ponca City. The current child care center will remain in the 1604 West Grand location through May.

“After that, our goal is to have YMCA  day care available,” she said.