photo by: Nick Gerik

The Community Building, 115 W. 11th St., is pictured June 22, 2019.

Douglas County residents will soon be required to use a key card to enter the city’s four recreation centers and the nature center, and out-of-county residents will be required to pay an annual fee as part of the program.

The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department has begun issuing key cards for entry to the Prairie Park Nature Center and the city’s four recreation centers: the Community Building, East Lawrence Recreation Center, Holcom Park Recreation Center and Sports Pavilion Lawrence, according to a city news release. Key cards are free to Douglas County residents and can be obtained at any recreation facility during operating hours.

Residents will need to swipe their key cards to enter the nature center or the cardio areas, weight rooms and open gym areas of the recreation centers. The Sports Pavilion, the city’s most recently built recreation center, has already been using key cards for entry to the workout facility that includes the pavilion’s weight room, walking track and cardio equipment, and residents who have been issued such a key card will be able to use those cards for entry to other Parks and Rec facilities.

Key cards will be required for those 10 and older, and anyone under 10 will need to be accompanied by someone with a card to enter a facility. Key cards can be obtained at recreation center welcome desks starting this week and will be required at all facilities beginning Aug. 2. Those who are enrolled in recreation department classes or have rented a room in a center will not need a key card for entry.

For Douglas County residents who don’t yet have a key card, they will need to provide proof of residency to receive one. Proof of residency includes a driver’s license, state-issued ID, current homeowner’s insurance policy, property tax statement, vehicle registration, mail from university, or a mortgage or lease document from Lawrence or Douglas County, according to information on the city’s website.

Though the key cards are free for Douglas County residents, there is a $5 replacement fee for all lost or stolen cards. Out-of-county residents can purchase a key card for an annual fee of $65 or pay a daily admission fee of $5 per day.

The city news release states that the key card program is being instituted for safety and security and that the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need to have the ability to trace contacts if an outbreak occurs. When the concept of key cards was first discussed in 2019, it was part of a proposal to charge entry fees for recreation centers, but city leaders ultimately declined to move forward with the institution of entry fees following concerns from residents. At that time city officials also said key cards would enable the city to enforce restrictions when people are banned or suspended from recreation centers for fighting or other issues.

For more information abut the key card program, residents can contact Brandy Shoemaker, recreation operations manager, at 785-832-7940 or bshoemaker@lawrenceks.org.