[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6043289,"mediaKeyId","3648086-2b95585f47a8d78ca706a3adb2374b98","parentId",3648086,"title","Lawrence Parks department outlines $1.8M shortfall; fees, scholarships and service cuts debated","audioSeconds",1765,"startMs",4685000,"endMs",6450000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3648086-2b95585f47a8d78ca706a3adb2374b98&start=4685&end=6450","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3648086-2b95585f47a8d78ca706a3adb2374b98/thumbnail_4685000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6043289/Lawrence/Douglas-County/Kansas/Lawrence-Parks-department-outlines-18M-shortfall-fees-scholarships-and-service-cuts-debated","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6043289-7cdee9d6735b535e3664cc9f90a7d2aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157361&Signature=V6dvsmwFpMubjrBpgBPztcAt9A3Iy68QRclBJ3FXucqEhiXI6l7LWtWRSrmrGSzcO4aJyAUKb6TCZhWgYvn9Fmeci5DVtrdMPHC3LZHrBGWC06BHvogO9BY-kvRzcNhMyd6Hvcdg1cij7mHY6-Lu33zxDWZq0YLOCOTX4L0TqeVCcM7zhQ-vscKTowl9rrsvf8wU1uunFYt-5oDsFyTdlz7vcNJK9i6KLLndNpcIc0RkEjfFuM47LAOb7BlmSlmGwaYSXKaC0itjfDndBrsv~PVi1BxdSiLuhbkebbX~afwwjmzr7E3A7ZbH9IpfqTaPPRVnZnb0II~DPrEknfviIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Lenexa , KS","date","2025-05-13T12:31:05Z","article","The Lawrence Parks & Recreation director told the advisory board the department is part of a larger city budget gap and that staff are considering fee changes, scholarship protections and service reductions to close a projected $1.8 million shortfall.

Luis, speaking during the director’s report, said the parks department’s shortfall contributes to a citywide $6.5 million general-fund gap for 2026 and that staff \"are looking at every part of our department\" to find reductions with \"the least amount of impact.\" He said the department is focusing on scholarship programs and access strategies to protect equity while developing fee proposals and community outreach.

Key dates described to the board included a July 8 submission of the recommended budget to the city manager and a September 16 final budget adoption by the commission. The director said staff planned community focus groups, surveys and pop-up events and would present a fees proposal to the commission in July, with public engagement before the September adoption.

Board members and residents raised concerns: several cited emails from families worried about charging event spectators or facility users at Rock Chalk Park and Sports Pavilion Lawrence, where tournaments draw regional visitors. One board member reported a community calculation suggesting a $5 spectator fee during a high-volume month could yield significant tournament revenue, while others cautioned that charging nonresident tournament spectators risks driving events to competing regional venues and harming local economic impact.

Staff and board discussed alternative approaches, including targeted scholarships, free access for children or youth under a certain age, temporary service reductions (mowing or maintenance) and increased volunteer coordination. Assistant Director Porter Arneil said communications and community engagement staff are developing a process to solicit public input under a tight timeline.

The director also provided program updates: an outdoor aquatic facility will open May 26 for a full season through Labor Day, and city splash pads opened May 27; the planned pool renovation bidding timeline targets October construction so the pool can operate a full season next year. He said some parks maintenance reductions made last year are more visible now that the season is underway. Luis emphasized that fee proposals would be a policy decision for the governing body and that staff will present alternatives if the commission rejects any given approach.

Board members asked the advisory group to help convene volunteers and community partners to explore maintenance‑and‑access tradeoffs quickly because of the compressed budget calendar.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lenexa City Parks & Recreation Advisory Board- 05/12/2025 ","oneSentenceSummary","The Parks & Recreation director told the advisory board the department faces an $1.8 million shortfall within the city's $6.5 million general-fund gap, and staff outlined a budget timeline, possible user-fee options and community engagement plans; board members urged protecting access for youth and exploring volunteer or sponsorship solutions.","taxTitle","Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas","taxId",3971,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6043293,"Lawrence officials prepare for 2026 FIFA World Cup regional impacts; base-camp bid, fan events and large logistics highlighted",1953,2201000,4154000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3648086-2b95585f47a8d78ca706a3adb2374b98&start=2201&end=4154","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3648086-2b95585f47a8d78ca706a3adb2374b98/thumbnail_2201000.jpg","/articles/6043293/Lawrence/Douglas-County/Kansas/Lawrence-officials-prepare-for-2026-FIFA-World-Cup-regional-impacts-base-camp-bid-fan-events-and-large-logistics-highlighted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6043293-0814ddd94b1f446cd1e59990ccd7b77e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157361&Signature=NcjodvZrWT54Z4bpv7bb0pw2ZZOwTB~p6pBrjr68-Ks2fI3mlRdV9mTprl-0AF1BKWypRNdMjXwuFkrLVf8NLbtDj3FQkIuUnxx0~Kk0pLyAZ4clEccq5ywcCLi1VQ1RMWQOZ5EA2ll2mLm~VdSaTonRDZQjPbu9buoTZ5IHFQJOc50jFHkNoGgKeoHdmlKC~LitnZmMlzU263JPgBJfRBeekaL4yJgizpDLjs~7SUH7YVrgHoyaLl6LPQJ07CQ3bGFnSkRlUMic7TYnM8I~JJK6v0pfuNQpNSHwLpu5erVt210rIci5Pb2SLqc-lGns6Vbve1w571NaHM7tvn4sNQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Explore Lawrence and local partners told the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board that the Kansas City region’s hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will require year-round coordination and could create large, short-term visitor surges affecting lodging, transportation and public safety.

Ruth DeWitt of Explore Lawrence said Kansas City will host six matches from June 16 to July 11, 2026, and regional organizers project about $650,000,000 in direct event spending and more than 500,000 visitors to the Kansas City region during the tournament period. \"A base camp will bring about 15,000 people,\" DeWitt said, describing how a team’s players, staff, press and entourage could concentrate in a host community.

DeWitt and Luis (a city official leading the local effort) said Lawrence is planning both to pursue designation as a team base camp and to host fan-activation events regardless of whether a base camp is awarded. They warned that even without base-camp status the region will see \"compression\" on hotel rooms and short-term rentals; half of Kansas City’s hotel rooms were already reported under contract at the time of the presentation.

Luis described an \"incident command\"–style structure the city, county and university have adopted to coordinate safety and operations, and he said the group created six branches covering safety and security, public services and infrastructure, housing and lodging, transportation, economic development/workforce and culture and experiences.

The culture-and-experiences branch — co-led by DeWitt and Luis — is building a calendar of events to highlight existing summer programming, cultural heritage tours, and new fan experiences such as viewing parties and FIFA Fan Festival–style activations. \"We want people to come in on their free days,\" DeWitt said, stressing that the local campaign will prioritize day visitors who can drive from Kansas City.

Officials described an evolving timeline: initial base-camp catalogs were released in 2024; sites continue to be added and capped (recently reported at 50–55 sites); teams will complete group draws in late 2025 and finalize base-camp selections between January and March 2026. Local sporting facilities and parks (Rock Chalk Park, Mass Street, South Park and others) are being considered for fan activities, though some sites may be restricted during team trainings or stadium construction.

Board members raised questions about cultural orientation for visitors, volunteer coordination for events, impacts on local youth programs and transportation options such as park-and-ride buses to Kansas City. DeWitt said KU’s Office of International Affairs and other community partners have offered cross-cultural assistance and that organizers are developing volunteer recruitment and venue plans.

DeWitt and Luis said planners will develop cost estimates and funding strategies and will coordinate with economic-development and hospitality partners on sponsorships and business engagement. They emphasized the goal of creating a lasting tourism legacy, not just a one-time event.

","Explore Lawrence and local partners outlined planning steps for the Kansas City 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing an incident-command structure, cultural and fan-experience planning, a timeline for base-camp bids and potential visitor surges that would affect lodging, transportation and public safety in Lawrence and Douglas County.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6043298,"Lawrence public health official links park access, poverty and heat risks",939,579000,1518000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3648086-2b95585f47a8d78ca706a3adb2374b98&start=579&end=1518","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3648086-2b95585f47a8d78ca706a3adb2374b98/thumbnail_579000.jpg","/articles/6043298/Lawrence/Douglas-County/Kansas/Lawrence-public-health-official-links-park-access-poverty-and-heat-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6043298-8f15f127da704d760f3d78f69bd61295/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157361&Signature=JqqyD5cmeTPxMkpIS49yVZ-bnhhuut--N3vWjNxMHbxdNnwBNmUU~kR8peU2ZTbhvjEBaJA~k1U86Sxq-vDVcNWQlfmqCosD3lnUCF0MTLipJ73A1pzKYn1gC3VGvR2uBwpX7vVb9HjQAvhfBIHfbDs7tTd-DC7jYoUXdJCfo4LW5ArGGQ-vOm~l6raTxipFaPNUNqAFBz43KEaU8yCPtwPkysLTgjEb-GOjG2LNYQacszGFixHTBpuxt4BIY30U5b4LSUmOif-kidMb57Plf0nx1hV1YPRFyrOAIDS02eO7-mgjwyzywB4CP5rSoKwnzOFjY56e0Izc2CEjITDSHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A public health staff member described links between park access, poverty and heat-related health risks during a presentation to the Lawrence Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.

The presenter, identified in the meeting as Vicky of the local public health office, said public health \"is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health,\" and emphasized that parks and recreation are part of the physical environment that shapes those outcomes.

Vicky said the health department uses census-tract data to map local conditions. The maps shown to the board measured park access as the share of residents within a 10-minute walk, found leisure-time physical inactivity ranging roughly from 14% to 25% across tracts, and found child poverty rates that reached as high as 43% in the darkest tracts.

Those data, she said, point to interactive drivers of health — socioeconomic conditions, the built environment, and health behaviors — and to specific opportunities for parks and recreation to advance prevention, stress reduction, social connection and environmental health such as heat mitigation.

Vicky described the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), a five-year, cross-sector plan launched in October to coordinate work on access to health services, anti-poverty strategies, behavioral health, birth outcomes, food security and housing. She said the behavioral-health section emphasizes prevention and social and emotional well-being and that parks programming can align with those prevention goals.

She also described CityHealth, a 12-policy package that local governments can adopt; one of those policies focuses on assuring and investing in green space and tree canopy. \"Strengthening the policy around green canopy requirements is a potential opportunity,\" she said, noting those policies are largely under city jurisdiction.

On heat, Vicky said the county is tracking heat-related days and illnesses and that protecting green space and tree canopy is a key tool for preventing heat-related illness. She said the department is building local surveillance after the CDC heat-and-health tracker’s public updates end.

Board members asked for evidence-based strategies to increase park use in neighborhoods showing high inactivity. Vicky recommended pairing facilities with barrier-free, accessible programming — addressing cost, hours and caregiving constraints — and suggested targeting supports for single-parent households and asset-limited, income-constrained but employed families.

The presentation prompted several local examples from board members: increased use around recent splash-pad and playground projects at Lions Park and Fifteenth Street Park and concerns that some tournament and facility uses can limit resident access.

Vicky closed by inviting further collaboration between parks and public health on CHIP objectives, green-space policy, programming and heat surveillance.

","A public health presenter told the Lawrence Parks & Recreation Advisory Board that census-tract data shows uneven access to parks, higher inactivity and child poverty in some neighborhoods, and urged collaboration on the Community Health Improvement Plan, CityHealth policies and heat mitigation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Lawrence Parks department outlines $1.8M shortfall; fees, scholarships and service cuts debated

Lawrence officials prepare for 2026 FIFA World Cup regional impacts; base-camp bid, fan events and large logistics highlighted

Lawrence public health official links park access, poverty and heat risks