When it was named, Centennial Park was little more than a 40-acre grass lawn, an 83-stall parking strip and a vision for a vibrant community destination in the heart of Eastern Iowa.
A decade later, North Liberty is ready for its next stage, and it’s time to make the vision a reality.
Over the past decade, we’ve hosted Blues & BBQ, giant-kite festivals, circus acts and other performances and community events. That experience has laid the foundation for the final phase — Centennial Park Next Stage — which will bring community amenities including an event center and amphitheatre; premier splash pad; expanded and accessible play structures for kids of all ages and abilities; an open-air pavilion; expansive plaza spaces and pathways to connect amenities and offer physical accessibility; an honor garden recognizing the service men and women from our community; and restrooms, shelters and additional parking.
The park will be completed in four phases. Phase 1 will break ground summer 2024.
Phase 1: The event center and amphitheatre, exterior restrooms, expanded plaza space and necessary utilities to support all phases will break ground in summer 2024.
Phase 2: A splash pad and expanded playground with wheelchair-accessible playground units, plus a picnic shelter with additional restrooms, shade structures and expanded parking. The phase could be open by summer 2026.
Phase 3: A year-round pavilion and an expansive plaza space.
Phase 4: An honor garden and additional parking.
North Liberty is an ideal place to put down roots, and no one boasts more about the quality of life and progress in North Liberty than city staff – except for real estate agents. It is with this growth mindset…
Read More
Just $6,708.94 remains with 30 days to go to meet the $100,000-in-90-days challenge and secure a State of Iowa grant for North Liberty’s Next Stage capital campaign. The challenge inspired individual and business commitments from $10 to $15,000 following the…
Read More
Field Day Brewing, North Liberty’s first brewery that has been drawing big crowds to the taproom since opening its doors in August, has taken another step to make a lasting impact on the community with its release of Centennial Park…
Read More
Relion Insurance Solutions, a Johnson County-based insurance agency serving Iowa for over well over 100 years, is putting their mark on the county’s quality of life and economic vitality for the next century with a pledge to North Liberty’s Next…
Read More
The City of North Liberty has received a $25,000 contribution from GreenState Credit Union in support of Building North Liberty’s Next Stage campaign. GreenState’s pledge, received in mid-November, helped City staff secure a $900,000 Community Attraction & Tourism grant from…
Read More
Today, the Enhance Iowa Board awarded a $900,000 Community Attraction and Tourism grant to a North Liberty’s Next Stage project. The award is contingent on raising $100,000 in the next 90 days. Gifts can be made through the Community Foundation…
Read More
The Washington County Riverboat Foundation awarded a $500,000 grant to the Building North Liberty’s Next Stage capital campaign. The award, through the City of North Liberty’s philanthropic partners for the campaign at the Community Foundation of Johnson County, will help…
Read More
The Community Foundation of Johnson County has awarded a $50,000 Community Impact Grant to Building North Liberty’s Next Stage. The City’s decade-long plan to transform Centennial Park into a magnetic gathering place is coming to fruition with phase one of…
Read More
The City of North Liberty has received a $25,000 contribution from Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative in support of Building North Liberty’s Next Stage campaign. The capital campaign, which launched in April 2023, will help bring an amphitheater, indoor event…
Read MoreShared outdoor spaces are important to our community and our residents, serving as destinations for festivals and fun, critical connections and to improve the quality of life. For a decade, we’ve experimented, executed and refined attractive programs in North Liberty and in Centennial Park, turning that 40 acres of grass into an attraction for our the community and point of pride in the region. Now we bring that experience to bear on this opportunity: a showstopping gathering place in the heart of Eastern Iowa’s rapidly growing community.
When Next Stage is complete, Centennial Park will be perfect for RAGBRAI overnights, premier concerts, weddings and family reunions, 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. The completed infrastructure makes year-round programming possible, empowers more people to physically access the amenities and programs, and allows for expanded partnerships. Think Iowa City conservatively estimates this project will inject more than $11.5 million of economic activity into our community each year.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration to support Building North Liberty’s Next Stage campaig. Browse donor levels to select the best philanthropic opportunity for you, your estate or business.
The completion of Centennial Park will be funded with local public funds, ARPA funding, grants and private support.
We’re pleased to partner with the Community Foundation of Johnson County on our Next Stage campaign. A non-endowed, designated charitable giving fund has been established to accept grants and donated gifts for the improvements.
If you want to learn more, have a question, want to more involved or just want to connect, we’d love to. Email us at [email protected].
