Post last updated at 10:35 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9:
Lawrence’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board voted to recommend fee increases for some facilities and programs but opposed new admission fees for rec centers. But staff will likely move forward with all new and increased fees anyway.
Derek Rogers, director of Parks and Recreation, told board members last month that the fees don’t require approval from the Lawrence City Commission — they could be decided at the staff level.
He said at the end of the board’s meeting Monday that he would likely plan to move forward with increased fees for some city programs and facilities effective Feb. 1, and new admission fees to use the rec centers effective March 1.
Board members want the Lawrence City Commission to address the issue.
Board members heard from dozens of community members opposed to the staff proposal to require daily fees of $3, monthly passes for $10 or annual passes for $100 for adult Douglas County residents to use Holcom Park and East Lawrence rec centers, Sports Pavilion Lawrence and the Community Building. The facilities are all currently free for residents to use. Kids and teens up to age 19 could still enter for free if staff does move forward with the fees.
The plan also includes new entry fees for Prairie Park Nature Center. Adult residents of Douglas County would be charged $3 for a day pass or $20 for an annual pass; however, the $100 annual rec center pass would also include admission to the nature center. Those younger than 19 would not be charged for entry.
The advisory board voted 4-3 to recommend increased facility and programming fees (Jacki Becker, Andrea Chavez, John Nalbandian, and Amber Nickel in favor; John Blazek, Marilyn Hull, and Val Renault opposed). However, they voted 6-1 to recommend against new fees to use the recreation center and enter Prairie Park Nature Center (Nalbandian in favor; Becker, Blazek, Chavez, Hull, Nickel and Renault opposed).
A board task force will draft a letter to the city commission to encapsulate board members’ and community members’ sentiments, and they will try to set a special meeting for the rest of the board to discuss and potentially approve the letter to send it to the commission in time for discussion before the fees go into effect.
“Unless there was something that would significantly change the plan to increase current fees, charge admission fees for rec centers and Prairie Park Nature Center, the department is going to go ahead and move forward on February 1 for the fee increases and the March 1 recommendation on the city manager’s report to the City Commission,” Rogers said.
He said he’s hoping to get that on the Lawrence City Commission agenda for its Tuesday, Jan. 17 meeting so that commissioners will have an opportunity to engage with the plan before the fee increases go into effect.
Staff members are recommending that adults whose incomes are 185% or less of the federal poverty level (up to $25,142 annually for an individual) get free annual passes. They would not be required to provide documentation of their income. Lindsay Hart, assistant director of recreation, said before the meeting that LPRD is “absolutely not” going to turn anyone away because they can’t pay.
Read more about the proposal and the department’s budget issues in this article from Sunday.
People who spoke during public comment raised concerns about transparency surrounding the decision, as well as concerns about the health and wellness of community members.
Sandra Issa voiced her concerns about raising fees and asked the board to consider how the admission fees could impact young adults, specifically those aged 19-21.
“If you have a young person who is suffering from anxiety or depression, and they have a choice between going to the gym, exercising, going into the weight room, getting some dopamine pumping in their systems, or picking up what they think is a Xanax, laced with fentanyl — it literally can be a question of life and death,” Issa said.
Darlene Miller said raising fees could have a detrimental effect for those without disposable income.
“Going up there, walking on that track — that’s all I do, is walk on that track — and I love it. It’s therapy,” she said, also noting how friendly everybody is at the rec center. “… But I get one Social Security check (per month).”
Those in attendance applauded as she headed back to her seat.
Others said the anticipated $200,000 of revenue that Parks & Rec staff members project the facility admission fees would bring in was not worth the damage to the public trust.
”The big picture is the $200,000 raised by the admission fees cost this community so much more in so many other ways,” Nickel said during the board’s discussion.
Note: A misspelled name in this post has been corrected.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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