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# Lawrence Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Summary
- URL: https://www.citizenjournal.us/lawrence-parks-recreation-advisory-board-summary-9/
- Published: 2026-10-13T12:48:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-13T12:48:36.000Z
- Description: Week of October 13, 2026
- Author: Cronkite
- Tags: Lawrence, #summary, dnn

# Architects unveil rehabilitation design for historic Grover Barn

# Grover Barn restoration project carries $3.8 million price tag

# Planned museum exhibits to highlight John Brown and Bleeding Kansas

# Future ownership and management of Grover Barn remains undecided

# Free public Wi-Fi installed at Sports Pavilion Lawrence

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### Architects unveil rehabilitation design for historic Grover Barn

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Megan Bruey of Hernly Associates presented a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the Grover Barn, a documented 1858 Underground Railroad site located near Clinton Parkway. The proposed design involves removing all 1980s additions from the original stone barn to restore its historic integrity, while adding a second story to the adjacent former Fire Station No. 4\. The modernized fire station would house public amenities, a catering kitchen and office spaces, preserving the barn itself as a historical gallery.

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### Grover Barn restoration project carries $3.8 million price tag

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The proposed rehabilitation of the Grover Barn and its surrounding site is estimated to cost nearly $3.8 million, according to architectural projections. The budget allocates $2.9 million for building renovations and roughly $876,000 for site work, including a courtyard and expanded parking. Watkins Museum of History Executive Director Steve Nowak and Bruey anticipate a four-year timeline before the facility could open to the public, with the next two years dedicated to securing funding through historic preservation grants, tourism funds and private donations.

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### Planned museum exhibits to highlight John Brown and Bleeding Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Once rehabilitated, the Grover Barn will feature extensive interpretive exhibits chronicling its role in the region's early history. The planned museum spaces will include interactive galleries detailing the 1858 journey of freedom seekers led by abolitionist John Brown, as well as exhibits on Bleeding Kansas, indigenous populations and the settlement of the western frontier. Outdoor components will feature native Great Plains plants and a recreation of a farm wagon with a hidden compartment used on the Underground Railroad.

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### Future ownership and management of Grover Barn remains undecided

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Questions remain regarding who will ultimately manage and maintain the Grover Barn once it is transformed into a museum and educational center. The city currently owns the building and uses it for storage, but Nowak suggested a collaborative management model moving forward. Historical agencies, such as Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area, have expressed interest in potentially using the second floor as an office and welcome center, which would provide the daily staffing necessary to keep the site open to the public.

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### Free public Wi-Fi installed at Sports Pavilion Lawrence

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Visitors to Sports Pavilion Lawrence can now access free public internet after Midco, a regional internet provider, recently completed a Wi-Fi installation at the facility. Parks and recreation staff noted that the technological upgrade had been in the works for a significant amount of time and will alleviate long-standing connectivity issues for families and athletes attending large weekend tournaments at the sports complex.

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