Since 1973, the Liberty football program has called William Jewell its home for Friday night games, but for the first time in over 40 years this may change for good. Niles Media and the Liberty Public School District are teaming up to build two ultimate district activity centers, one here at LHS and one at LNHS. The district activity center will not only allow for home football games to be played at LHS but will also be a place for the community and school to hold numerous other events.

Once the facility is finished it should bring not only a shift of environment to the campus but also a newfound pride in the student body and community.

“It’s going to be such a beautiful facility for students. I am so excited,” head principal April Adams said. “Obviously the complex itself, being able to house fans from both sides will be great. We also already have the beautiful turf field. It really just adds a sense of pride.”

The complex will include stands, a concession setup, locker rooms, restrooms and a press box.

“I’m really looking forward to everything about it. I’m excited to be getting bleachers in, having seats on both the east and west side will be nice,” athletic director Jason Cahill said. “Also, the entry plaza where we can recognize everyone who has donated to this campaign and the facility will be a nice feature.”

The first stage of the build was new turf. It has already been used for a variety of purposes such as freshmen football games, rugby, band practice, PE classes, soccer games during the rain and even Pop Warner games on the weekend.

“It’s a community activity center,” Adams said. “We’ve had fundraisers out there in the past, we’ve even had Special Olympics out there too.”

Possibly one of the biggest and most exciting aspects of building the new complex is being able to house every home football game at LHS for the first time in over 40 years. Being able to hold home games on campus will make things a lot easier not only for the football team, but also the band and anyone else that may have to transfer equipment from the school to Williams Jewell.

“I think everyone’s going to like it,” sophomore Nate Gray said. “I know all the people involved in Friday nights will like it just because we won’t have to pack everything up and move it, so that will be good for us.”

Along with the advantages of not having to transfer equipment, the atmosphere inside the complex is expected to be electric.

“We’re going to bring a lot of that same tradition and the same noise but I think there’s going to be more to us just because it’s our field and our real territory,” senior Aidan Bishop said. “It’s definitely going to be the place to be on Friday nights.”

Before the complex can be built the money needed for it needs to be raised first. LPS and Niles Media are currently holding a fundraiser through May 2017. A total of 4.9 million dollars needs to be raised. While a lot of the money will come from large corporations and businesses, there is still 2.9 million dollars that will need to be raised by the community.

“The fundraising gifts range (whether it’s businesses or individuals) from 50 thousand dollars down to 100 dollars and below,” John Sprugel of Niles Media said. “We also have another category if people want to donate below 100 dollars. This is an enormous undertaking but I know the entire Liberty community will respond and take pride in finishing the build of these activity complexes.”

If you’re interested in helping with the project or know someone who might want to donate money, information can be found in the complex brochures located at every school in the Liberty district. Donation information about the complex can also be found on the school district’s website.

If all goes right as far as donations and construction, the goal is to have the facility up and running by fall of 2017.

“We hope people will not wait to donate until the end of the school year. We really want to get into it right now so we can be building throughout the year and be able to meet our goal of having these ready in the fall of 2017,” Sprugel said.

Overall, the complex is already making a lasting impact and once finished is expected to benefit the school and community in large ways through the upcoming years.

“I think this project is so huge. When we talk about Blue Jay pride and Eagle pride and legacy, this is a legacy action,” Adams said. “This is going to be serving our students through time. When we talk about impact factor, being able to have a district activities complex, that’s an impact factor for kids and that’s the most important part.”