Edmond's Busiest Library and Busiest YMCA Get a Second Home on East 15th Street

The Kupiec East Edmond YMCA opens Monday, November 16, according to Edmond Outlook's October 2026 issue. The East Edmond Library shares the building at 4701 E. 15th St. and is set to open the same month. The Metropolitan Library System hasn't named a day yet. Edmond Outlook calls it a first-of-its-kind facility in Oklahoma, with a library and a YMCA behind one shared lobby. The building also has public meeting space paid for by the city.

The reason it's being built comes down to two crowded buildings. The City of Edmond's capital projects page says the downtown Edmond Library is the busiest library branch in the state. It also says the Mitch Park YMCA is the busiest of the 14 YMCA branches in the Greater Oklahoma City area. The new building gives both of them a second location near the middle of town. It opens before the trail that will reach its door, and the library hasn't posted its hours.

Why 15th Street, Just East of I-35

The site used to belong to Henderson Hills Baptist Church. The city's project summary says it sits "near the geographic center of Edmond." The city picked it to serve residents "as the population continues to expand east of I-35." Henderson Hills is still a partner. It's letting the new building share its entrance off 15th Street and use an existing parking lot.

The city's summary points to Mitch Park as the model. In the city's words, the YMCA wants a facility "closer in size to the Mitch Park YMCA." The summary also cites Mitch Park and Edmond Center Court as proof that pooled resources work. The plan is a branch built at Mitch Park scale, with a library attached.

Who Paid for It

Most of the money came from the city, and the YMCA pays part of it back over time. Here's how the city's project page breaks it down as of its July 29, 2026 update:

Up front, the city covers about $36.97 million in land, design and construction. That figure drops once you count the YMCA's repayments. Under the deal, the city pays half the cost of building the YMCA side, and the YMCA pays that half back over a long-term lease. The city expects about $12 million to come back over the life of the lease. The library system put in $140,000 toward construction. The city covered the design work for the library and the public meeting space.

Construction started with a groundbreaking in August 2024. Metro Library has already hired Kelsey See as library manager and Danielle Riley as assistant library manager for the branch. An August 2024 Edmond Outlook article expected an early 2026 opening. The city's July 2026 update moved completion to November.

What's Behind the Shared Lobby

Most of the building's features are on the fitness and aquatics side. The library is set up so a visit can take a couple of minutes.

The YMCA side. Edmond Outlook lists a gym, a pool, a fitness center, 24/7 access, a dry sauna, two group exercise studios, a universal and family locker room, a playground and a dedicated youth space. The project architect, GH2, describes recreational and lap pools, a splash pad, and a full-size gym with a track. The YMCA's branch page adds pickleball, cycle classes, EGYM smart equipment, towel service and child care.

The library side. Metro Library lists print and digital collections, public computers, programs for all ages, and multipurpose meeting rooms. It also lists a drive-through for pickups and returns, plus a holds pickup locker in the lobby. GH2 says the branch also includes a makerspace and a large multipurpose meeting room.

The drive-through and the holds locker mean you can pick up a book without walking the stacks. That's useful at a branch meant to take some of the load off downtown.

YMCA staffed hours

The YMCA has posted its staffed hours:

• Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, 1 to 6 p.m.

Child Watch runs 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on weekdays. Evening sessions run 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to noon, and Sunday hours are 1 to 5 p.m. The 24-hour access listed among the amenities covers the time outside staffed hours. The library hasn't posted its hours yet.

Joining before November 16

Membership presales started September 1. People who join before opening day can use the Rankin and Mitch Park YMCAs until the new branch opens. At the time of writing, the YMCA's online catalog lists an adult membership at $50 a month with a $70 one-time joining fee. That catalog page is undated, so check the current rate before you sign up. The branch phone number is (405) 348-9622.

How Close the Trails Come, and When

Most people will drive to the building when it opens. The trail connection is coming in stages, and the stretch that reaches the front door comes last.

A September 11, 2026 report to the Edmond Bicycle Committee lays out the timeline. Here are the trail pieces in order of when they're expected:

1. Spring Creek Trail, already open. The city's trail map shows it running east to west from Spring Creek Park at 7200 E. 15th St. It continues west toward I-35 through an underpass, with a connection at Integris Hospital, 4509 Integris Parkway.
2. Arcadia Lake Trail–NW Connector, expected in November. This 1.8-mile trail runs from Midwest Boulevard to the Spring Creek Trail and crosses a low-water crossing on the way. Its listed construction cost is $3,415,004.38, paid for by the 2017 Capital Improvement Projects tax. Construction started in February. The September report lists November as the expected finish and says the trail helps link the development along I-35. That includes Integris and Mercy hospitals, the new library and YMCA, Sam's Club and Walmart. The connector also joins the Spring Creek Trail to the four-mile Arcadia Lake Trail below the dam. That trail runs from Edmond Park at 7100 E. 2nd St. toward the UCO Boathouse.
3. Spring Creek Trail Extension along the I-35 north frontage road, to be bid next year. This is the piece that reaches the building. It extends the trail from the Integris connection to the new YMCA and library. The September report says the plans are in final development. Utility relocation between 15th Street and the trailhead parking lot was almost finished. ODOT expects to put the project out for bids next year as part of its frontage road transition project, at no extra cost to the city.

Put together, by early winter you may be able to ride from the Arcadia Lake area to the Integris trailhead on finished trail. The last stretch along the frontage road to the YMCA doors won't go out for bids until next year. Building it will take longer than that.

Don't mix up the NW Connector with another trail project. The city is also planning an Arcadia Lake Trail segment from Spring Creek Park to Carl Reherman Park. That one is a separate, still-early project, and it doesn't make a full loop around the lake.

What Opening Day Changes, and What It Doesn't

On November 16, east-side residents get a pool, an indoor track, pickleball and Child Watch a short drive from 15th Street. Before, the nearest full-size YMCA was across I-35 at Mitch Park. The library opens the same month with a drive-through window and a holds locker. The city hasn't announced any changes to programs at the downtown library or at Mitch Park. Neither one is closing or moving programs to the new building. Both keep running as before, and the new building gives people another option.

Matt Berry spent years in construction before real estate, so he notices what a project like this does to a part of town. A $31.64 million civic building near the center of Edmond changes how the east side gets used day to day. If you want to talk through what the 15th Street corridor looks like now that the library, the YMCA and the trail work are coming in, Homes by Matt Berry can walk you through it. Schedule a Consultation, and Matt will go over the area with you.