photo by: John Young

In this file photo from October 2014, Mason Lester lofts up a shot while his brother Owen watches as the two play on the basketball courts at Sports Pavilion Lawrence.

The City of Lawrence is expanding its hours at Sports Pavilion Lawrence and reopening free play at all of its recreation centers.

The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department will expand the hours at Sports Pavilion Lawrence, 100 Rock Chalk Lane, for general public use on the weekends beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday, according to a city news release. That includes the weight and cardio areas and walking track at SPL.

The city will also reopen free play at all recreation center gyms and other indoor athletic facilities. That includes pickleball and pickup soccer at SPL and pickleball at the East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 E. 15th St.

The city reopened recreation centers last week after temporarily closing them earlier this month. The city suspended general exercise and free-play hours at its four recreation facilities across the city on Jan. 3 as a result of rising COVID cases in the community. Tournaments and scheduled programs and classes were allowed to continue, which led some residents to question the city’s approach, as the Journal-World previously reported.

The hours of operation for all recreation centers beginning Saturday are as follows:

Community Building, 115 W. 11th St.

9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday

East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 E. 15th St.

8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday

Holcom Park Recreation Center

8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday

Sports Pavilion Lawrence, 100 Rock Chalk Lane

5:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday

7 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday

1-9 p.m. Sunday

Prairie Park Nature Center*, 2730 Harper St.

Closed – Monday

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday

1-4 p.m. Sunday

*The nature center will be restricted to only 20 people at a time.