LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence officials are spending more than $22 million for the new Rock Chalk Park Sports complex in northwest Lawrence while also seeking donations at recreation centers in other parts of town to help maintain current equipment.

Tim Laurent, Lawrence recreation operations manager, says donation boxes at recreation centers aren’t a sign the city is struggling to fund the maintenance of existing facilities and equipment now that money is being devoted to Rock Chalk Park. He says residents who take Parks and Recreation classes pay a fee, while people who use the fitness rooms aren’t required to pay fees.

But Lawrence resident Anne Schulman told The Lawrence Journal-World that the donation boxes are “a slap in the face to residents who live in other parts of town.”