First Liberty Bank is giving back to the Liberty community in a big way by donating $110,000 to Liberty ISD. Of the total donation, $100,000 will go toward a new indoor baseball and softball training facility, and $10,000 will go toward a welding facility and furthering the efforts of career and technology programs.
The future indoor baseball and softball training facility will be located on the grounds of Liberty High School adjacent to the current ball fields. The facility will have indoor batting cages and pitching tunnels that will allow student-athletes to train even during inclement weather.
According to LISD Superintendent Dustin McGee, FLB’s donation represents roughly one-third of the projected costs of the facility. McGee said Liberty ISD is striving to build a high-quality facility at a conservative cost to taxpayers.
“We want it to be functional, but we also recognize that we live in a city that is most blue collar people who work hard for everything they have. We believe in being efficient with our funds, working with their tax dollars and within the reasonable bounds of our budget,” he said.
As for FLB’s willingness to help fund the facility, McGee said, “This is just a continuation of a partnership with our number 1 supporter and partner – First Liberty Bank. We are thankful for their long-term support of the District. First Liberty Bank has always been willing to provide support when it’s needed,” McGee said.
FLB President Kelly Stretcher attended Monday night’s Liberty ISD board meeting to take part in mock check presentations and photos. Stretcher called the baseball and softball training facility a “worthy project.”
“This project will impact a lot of kids. Some people might say, ‘Well, it’s just athletics’, but we believe there are a large number of students going through the athletics program and the vocational programs that will be impacted by our donations,” Stretcher said. “We can’t think of a better thing to support than education. The bank wants to continue making a positive impact in the community, and we make this donation with great pride.”
In making the donation, Liberty High School’s ball fields will be renamed to First Liberty Bank Field. Signage will also be erected on the indoor training facility.