photo by: Journal-World File

Sports Pavilion Lawrence, 100 Rock Chalk Lane, is shown in this file photo from June 2017.

The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department is no longer planning to implement admission fees for any of the city’s recreation facilities or Prairie Park Nature Center, the department’s director announced Friday.

Entry fees for the City of Lawrence’s four recreation centers — Sports Pavilion Lawrence, Holcom Park Recreation Center, the East Lawrence Recreation Center and the Lawrence Community Building — plus the nature center were part of the department’s original fee proposal, first shared with the public near the end of 2022. As the Journal-World previously reported, the proposal would have in part established a $3 daily entry fee for those facilities.

“It was important for us to listen and allow everyone an opportunity to speak and be heard,” Parks and Recreation Director Derek Rogers said in an email message Friday afternoon. “Upon further reflection and time to review all comments collected, we’ve decided not to implement facility admission fees.”

Instead of any entry fees, Rogers said the department will redouble its efforts to add special events and programs that generate new revenues and will pursue corporate sponsorships to assist in closing an anticipated budget gap.

The decision follows significant public outcry at Monday’s Lawrence Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting, which dozens of residents attended to speak out against the fee proposal. Nearly 70 members of the public also emailed comments ahead of that meeting, the majority of which were against implementing any entry fees.

The board did, however, vote on Monday to recommend new program fees to the Lawrence City Commission. That change will raise parks and recreation program fees across the board, anywhere from 10% for youth and adult sports to as high as 60% for recreation center facility rentals, and will take effect Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Rogers added that later this year, the department will begin developing a new comprehensive plan to provide a road map for the department over the next seven to 10 years, and the department hopes the public will take part in shaping that plan as well.