photo by: Bremen Keasey

Lawrence's City Hall, located at 6 E. Sixth St., shown in June 2025.

Along with a number of other changes to their operations this year, the City of Lawrence’s recreation facilities will now be closed for all city-observed holidays, including Presidents Day on Feb. 16.

The city announced on Monday that its Parks, Recreation and Culture facilities would be closed on Presidents Day in addition to city offices. The offices have always been closed for federal holidays such as Presidents Day, but the closure of the recreation centers is new, and interim parks and rec director Lindsay Hart said it was decided during last year’s budget process.

Parks, Recreation and Culture had to close a $1.8 million gap in the 2026 budget, and that led to a number of changes in the department, such as charging users for access to three of the city’s rec centers. Hart said one of the cuts the department made was to the part-time staffing for its facilities on holidays.

The move “allows the department to manage staffing costs responsibly while maintaining sustainable operations and continuing to prioritize service delivery during regular operating days,” Hart said in an email to the Journal-World.

On Presidents Day, not only will the four rec centers be closed — East Lawrence Recreation Center, Holcom Park Recreation Center, Sports Pavilion Lawrence and the Community Building — but so will the administrative office and cemeteries office in South Park, the Indoor Aquatic Center and Prairie Park Nature Center.

While Hart said all indoor PRC facilities would be closed on city-recognized holidays moving forward, its outdoor facilities, Eagle Bend Golf Course and the Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center, will be open on holidays if weather permits. The city’s announcement said that Eagle Bend, 1250 East 902 Road, would be operating from 8 a.m. to dusk on Presidents Day, weather permitting.

There will not be a delay in solid waste collection for the Presidents Day holiday. The city said the service would go “according to (the) regular collection schedule.” And while Lawrence Transit’s Central Station, 2315 Bob Billings Parkway, will be closed, the bus system will be operating its usual services on Feb. 16, including its fixed route, T Lift and On Demand service. Parking meters, lots and garages in downtown will also be free on Feb. 16.

The list of city-observed holidays is: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, according to the city’s website.