photo by: Bremen Keasey

Sports Pavilion Lawrence is one of the city's four recreation centers.

Lawrence residents can start purchasing recreation center memberships in less than two weeks, and the City of Lawrence will be holding information sessions later this month to answer questions about the new fees and help people sign up.

The city won’t start requiring membership fees for rec center access until Jan. 5, 2026, but monthly and yearly memberships will be available for purchase starting Monday, Nov. 17, either online or in person at the rec centers. If you sign up now, your membership will begin in January, at the same time as the new requirements go into effect.

The city announced Wednesday that it will hold information sessions from Nov. 17 through 20 at the city’s rec centers to help people understand and sign up for the new memberships. The times and locations are as follows:

• Monday, Nov. 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Sports Pavilion Lawrence, 100 Rock Chalk Lane.

• Tuesday, Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to noon at Sports Pavilion Lawrence.

• Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon at the East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 E. 15th St.

• Thursday, Nov. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 W. 27th St.

Here are a few other things to know about the new memberships:

How do you sign up for a membership?

The city’s website for recreation center memberships is lawrenceks.gov/prc/memberships, and online signups will begin on Nov. 17. You can also sign up at the front desk of any of the rec centers.

If you don’t already have a rec center access card, you will receive one the first time you visit a rec center with your new membership. You will also be asked to provide proof of residency.

The website lists documents you can use to prove that you have a Lawrence address: a driver’s license or state-issued ID, a vehicle registration, a deed or mortgage document, a homeowners insurance policy, a property tax statement or a lease or dorm agreement.

You will also have to have your photo taken to obtain a membership. The city’s website says that this isn’t optional for monthly and yearly memberships: “A photo is required for membership. If you prefer not to have your photo taken, you may choose to pay a day pass or purchase a punch card for each visit instead.”

How much are the fees?

The membership fees for Lawrence residents are $12 a month or $120 a year for adults; $8 a month or $80 a year for seniors ages 60 and up; and $20 a month or $200 a year for a household membership that covers up to three adults who live at the same address. People who live outside of Lawrence pay higher rates: $15 a month or $150 a year for adults, $10 a month or $100 a year for seniors, and $24 a month or $240 a year for households.

Youth 17 and under who live in Douglas County (not just in Lawrence) can access the rec centers for free, but parents will still have to sign their children up and provide proof of residency. The city’s website says that once someone turns 18, their free youth membership automatically ends and they will need to register for an adult membership to continue using the rec centers.

What about day passes?

Day passes, unlike memberships, have different costs for different facilities. A day pass for Sports Pavilion Lawrence is $5 for residents and $8 for nonresidents, while a day pass for Holcom Park or East Lawrence is $3 for residents or $5 for nonresidents. (The Community Building, as the city announced last week, will no longer be open as a general-purpose recreation center; it will only be available through reservations and for programming such as fitness classes.)

The city will also offer a punch card that’s good for 20 visits to the rec centers. This costs $60 for residents or $130 for nonresidents, and it does not expire.

What can you do at the rec centers without a membership or day pass?

Not much. The city’s website lists only a few circumstances where people can access the recreation centers without paying for a membership, day pass or other program. Essentially, they are limited to parents attending “a program, league, practice, or other activity” with their child, or guests at a public event or an event hosted by someone who’s rented out the facility.

The outdoor tennis courts at Sports Pavilion Lawrence will still be available to people without a membership. The city’s website says these will be available on a first-come, first-served basis or by reservation.

Restrooms and showers at rec centers will not be free to access, and the city previously announced that the centers will no longer serve as warming or cooling sites where people can go during inclement weather. A fee will also be charged for spectators at tournaments; that fee will be $5.

What are the options for low-income residents?

During the 2026 budget process, city commissioners asked that the rec centers allow free entry to lower-income residents. The city will in fact be offering a scholarship program called a “qualified access membership” to people who meet certain guidelines.

The city’s website said that people would have to apply for a qualified access membership, and that those who met “our scholarship guidelines” would get access for free. The website, however, provided little information on what those guidelines would be.

The Journal-World has reached out to city staff for clarification about these requirements.