Following more than a decade of planning, the city of North Liberty will officially break ground on its Centennial Center on July 9 at 10 a.m. at Centennial Park, 1565 St. Andrews Drive.
The Centennial Center is the first of four phases to transform Centennial Park into a “magnetic gathering place residents will cherish as a quality-of-life amenity, businesses will boast about when recruiting employees, and visitors will rave about when they talk about Iowa,” according to a statement from the city.
According to its website, North Liberty envisions the park as an eventual destination for RAGBRAI overnights, concerts, private and public events, business gatherings and focused conferences in the Centennial Center, outdoor movies on the great lawn and a farmers’ market and ice-skating rink under the pavilion.
“Think Iowa City conservatively estimates this project will inject more than $11.5 million of economic activity into our community each year,” the city’s website stated.
The first phase will include the 13,000 square foot Centennial Center and amphitheater, exterior restrooms and an expanded plaza space, and subsequent phases will oversee the construction of a splash pad, wheelchair-accessible playground, picnic shelter, year-round pavilion, honor garden and expanded parking.
To date, the city has raised more than $2.3 million toward its $3.5 million goal for phase one.
