Lawrence recreation facilities will be available as cooling, shower sites during hot weather

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Community Building at 115 W. 11th St. is pictured on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021.

The City of Lawrence’s recreation facilities are once again open this summer as cooling sites offering relief from the extreme heat.

The city outlined those sites in a news release Wednesday morning. Each of the city’s four recreation buildings will be open as cooling sites during their normal operating hours, which are listed in full on the city’s website. Additionally, shower facilities will be available for use at each location during more limited hours.

The addresses of the four cooling sites, as well as the windows when shower facilities will be available for use, are as follows:

• Community Building, 115 W. 11th St., shower facilities available Monday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.

• East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 E. 15th St., shower facilities available Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 W. 27th St., shower facilities available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• Sports Pavilion Lawrence, 100 Rock Chalk Lane, shower facilities available Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m.

In Wednesday’s release, the city also encouraged people looking to cool down during warm weather to utilize Lawrence Transit buses, which are free to riders throughout 2024.

“We ask riders to follow the transit policy of riding no more than one full loop on a route, after which you are welcome to transfer to another bus route if you desire additional cooling time,” the release reads.

The Union Pacific Depot at 402 N. Second St., meanwhile, is not scheduled to be open this summer, according to the release. Questions about that facility can be directed to the city’s Housing Solutions Division at homelessprograms@lawrenceks.org.