photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Work was underway as of Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 to outfit the shelter structure at Broken Arrow Park with windows, allowing it to be used for public rentals in all weather conditions. The work will be completed within two weeks, and down the line the city plans to equip the shelter with heating and air conditioning.

The shelter structure at Broken Arrow Park is currently undergoing maintenance to make it usable by members of the public year-round, and a city spokesperson says upgrades at other parks around Lawrence are in the works both now and looking ahead to 2024.

City spokesperson Cori Wallace told the Journal-World Friday that Parks and Recreation staff completed a walk-through at the Broken Arrow shelter earlier in the day, and the installation of windows around the entirety of the shelter will be completed within the next two weeks. Once that work is finished, Wallace said the shelter would reopen for reservations at the same pricing as it has been.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Workers move a glass pane inside the Broken Arrow Park shelter Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. The entire structure is being outfitted with windows so it will be more usable year-round.

The ultimate objective, Wallace said, is to install heat and air conditioning in the shelter to make it even more usable throughout the year. She said that, ideally, those upgrades would be completed in the next two years.

“Climate conditioning (and) protection from the elements is beneficial for folks who are looking for a public option that accommodates groups regardless of weather conditions,” Wallace told the Journal-World via email.

The improvements were proposed and approved by the Lawrence City Commission as part of the process of adopting the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, Wallace said. Currently, upgrades to the playgrounds at Lyons Park, 700 N. Lyon St., and Stonegate Park, 3706 Hunters Hill Drive, are also taking place, with those improvements set to be completed later this fall. An upgrade at Centennial Skate Park, 600 Rockledge Road, is slated for this winter, as the Journal-World reported, and the Lyons Park shelter is scheduled for an upgrade during summer 2024.