Annual memberships to use Lawrence’s recreation centers — currently admission-free — will cost $250 per adult, or $150 per senior or youth, if the Parks and Recreation department’s proposal is approved.
A household membership — up to five people, including at least one adult — would cost $400 annually. Monthly rates to use the rec centers will be $25 per adult, $40 per household or $15 per senior or youth. Annual memberships would cost the same as 10 monthly memberships.
Revenues from memberships are part of the Parks, Recreation and Culture department’s plan to offset its $1.8 million share of the city’s anticipated $6 million deficit in 2026. (Read more coverage of the city’s budget process at this link.)
The city has never charged residents to use recreation centers. In 2023, the city planned to implement fees for rec centers but reversed course after the proposal was met with concerns from dozens of members of the public.
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The fee proposals are on the agendas of the next Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Lawrence City Commission meetings, coming up Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
The department says this year that without adding rec center membership fees, they would have to make deeper cuts, including potentially removing some park amenities such as shelters, restrooms and playgrounds, and rehoming the birds of prey at Prairie Park Nature Center. The department would also cut six full-time and multiple part-time positions, reduce hours and services at rec centers, and hold fewer fitness classes, sports and recreational programs, according to the agendas.
More than 80% of people surveyed in community engagement regarding the proposed fees said they “strongly oppose” (61.2%) or “somewhat oppose” (20.3%) the fees, according to the agenda. People have raised concerns about the potential effects on community health, costs for seniors and children, and feeling as though they’re already paying for the rec centers through their taxes and should not have to pay more.
Porter Arneill, assistant director of arts and culture, said during a June meeting that people also shared that they felt the city was “going back on a promise” by not keeping Sports Pavilion Lawrence fee-free, and that the city is eroding trust. Luis Ruiz, director of parks, recreation and culture, previously told the advisory board that promise was never codified.
Fees and revenues
Under the fee proposal, youths ages 5 to 17 would be able to enter rec centers for free from 3 to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, when Lawrence Public Schools have early dismissal.
Qualified rates would be available for financially stressed households. People would prove their eligibility through a low-barrier process, such as showing they qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches or KanCare, according to the agenda and previous meeting discussions.
The qualified rates would be 60% off the regular rates — monthly memberships at $10 per adult, $16 per household or $6 per senior or youth; annual memberships at $100 per adult, $160 per household or $60 per senior or youth, according to the agenda.
The agenda also includes a lower price membership option for access to only the Holcom Park and East Lawrence recreation centers. Those would be $12 monthly for adults, $20 for households or $8 for seniors or youths, with annual rates at 10 times those amounts.
Non-residents would pay 20% more than the regular fees under the proposal. It’s still to be determined whether “residents” will include residents of Douglas County or only residents of the city.
Day passes and punch cards would also be available.
20250710-Parks-and-Rec-fees-tablesThe membership fees are anticipated to bring in $500,000 per year, according to the meeting agenda item. They would not be the only additional fees: the city would also start charging spectator fees for tournaments held at Sports Pavilion Lawrence, with estimated revenues of $250,000, though specific fees per spectator or per event were not provided in the agenda.
In addition, the department anticipates $370,000 in additional revenue from other fee increases: $150,000 from the golf course; $120,000 for program and facility rentals; and $100,000 for aquatics admissions, according to the agenda.
Altogether, the department would bring in about $1.12 million more with all fees and increases implemented, according to the agenda. But the cuts would still include three full-time and multiple part-time positions, and “slight reductions” in hours and services at rec centers.
Meeting info
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will hear a presentation on the proposal during their meeting, set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 14 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. See the complete meeting agenda at this link.
Community members may submit written public comment until noon the day of the meeting by emailing parksrec@lawrenceks.org. People may give comments during the meeting in person or via Zoom; register for the Zoom meeting at this link.
The fee discussion at Tuesday’s Lawrence City Commission meeting will be a work session, so commissioners will not vote on whether to approve the proposal. They will meet at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, also at City Hall.
The commission accepts written public comment emailed to ccagendas@lawrenceks.org until noon the day of meetings. The commission also hears live public comment during meetings, both in person and virtually.
City commission meetings are no longer livestreamed on YouTube. In order to watch the meeting online remotely, attendees must join via Zoom at this link, which also allows participants to provide public comment. Meeting recordings are uploaded to the city’s YouTube channel the next day.
See the commission’s complete meeting agenda at this link.
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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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