The interim director of the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department is correct in saying the city is trying to walk “a fine line” as it discusses ways to trim the department’s budget.

Balancing residents’ desire for facilities and activities against their ability and willingness to pay for those services is a difficult chore. It’s a sad situation, however, especially at the beginning of summer, for the city to be looking at increased fees or shorter hours, either of which could limit access to city facilities for local children.

A recent online survey conducted by Parks and Rec indicated that many local residents would be willing to pay something, but not much, to use facilities. About half of those responding said they would be willing to pay $1 to use the city’s wading pool or the weight rooms at local recreation centers and maybe $2 to go to the Prairie Park Nature Center. City officials correctly wonder whether the cost of collecting such a low fee would be worth it.

Because the city already charges admission at its two aquatic centers, raising fees there would be profitable unless it make the costs prohibitive for some families. A significant percentage of those surveyed said they would rather cut hours for the pools or recreation facilities than to charge additional fees.

Why do we have these facilities if we aren’t going to use them fully? They are intended to serve Lawrence residents, some of whom can’t afford to pay for private recreation venues and many of whom are children. City officials certainly should keep the current situation in mind as they consider building new recreational facilities in the future. If the city can’t afford to operate the facilities it has, there is no reason to build more.

Interestingly, 71 percent of those responding to the survey said the city should continue to spend $12,000 for summer band concerts in South Park, and 79 percent said the downtown planter and beautification program was an essential service. Why not seek some private sponsorship for those programs, especially the band concerts? There was broad survey support for allowing advertising at the city’s outdoor athletic fields.

Keeping downtown beautiful may be an “essential” service for Parks and Rec, but for many taxpayers, providing recreational opportunities for Lawrence youngsters is the department’s “most essential” mission. If we can’t provide at least some of those opportunities at no cost and others at a reasonable cost and at ample and reasonable hours, we will have failed in that mission.