LIBERTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Severe flooding in March devastated Gateway Park in Liberty. The floodwater ripped up fencing and left both the playground and fields unusable.
“You really can’t have a field without the big fences up, but they were pretty much destroyed completely in the back. We had a couple of fields up close that weren’t as bad, they just had a couple of debris in them but there some fields that we had just logs in the middle,” said Magan Byrd-Sullivan.
Volunteers determined to give their children a space to play in this summer gathered on Saturday to clean up the park and bring it back to life.
“It's just such a need in our community. We need safe places for kids to gather, be active, move, and talk to each other. We need those safe places and this is one of those,” said Connie Cundiff, whose grandchildren play sports at the park.
The Gateway Park Fund created by the Casey County Bank has received more than three thousand dollars in donations to pay for new fencing and materials to rebuild the park.
The bank organized the cleanup on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It's important to have a place like this anywhere, but especially in a small town,” said Matt Murphy.
Volunteers helped landscape, level the fields, and clear away the debris left from the flood.
The goal is to finish installing the new fencing around the field in time for the start of the spring season in the coming weeks so Casey County’s children can have a space to play baseball, softball, and tee-ball.
Donations are still being collected for the Gateway Park Fund. If you would like to donate, you can do so by reaching out to the Casey County Bank.
