The most recently completed project was a set of three batting cages, which are set up in the building’s former cafeteria area. The batting cages, Quint said, are just one part of the puzzle.
“We're nowhere near reaching the full potential of what this building could be. The batting cages are just one stop on the road and we have a lot of other projects coming up and a lot of goals for this place,” Quint said. “During the course of all of this there have been so many people who have come up to me and asked 'Could you do THIS?' or 'Would THIS be something that could work in that building?' and we love that input from the community. I know laser tag has been suggested, and I know we're repurposing the track outside, so there are several possibilities with that, I know the idea of making it into a go-kart track has been put out there, and again, we love the community input. We were actually at one of the middle schools a few weeks ago and we asked the students 'What would you like to see in that building?' and there were so many ideas given to us like archery tag and laser tag and so many other activities, and it's great to have the input from that age group because that means they will actually want to come to the recreation center, and that will keep them off the screens and off the streets, which is great. I'd love to take all those ideas from the community and see what we can do, that's the best part of what I do, and that's been my favorite part of this process. And for those who want to reserve a time, they can e-mail us at the recreation center or message us through Facebook or come see us in person, whatever works for them, and there are three cages for use that have a 90-minute time limit. Anyone who wants to use the batting cages will have to sign a waiver and go through the rules with us about safety and all of that. The batting cages are for anyone who wants to improve on that skill, whether they're in school or on an adult softball/baseball team.”
With projects coming together, Quint offered encouragement for people in the community to visit not only the batting cages but also the rest of the building to hear what plans are for the other areas of the space.
“We've put some photos up on our social media pages, which a lot of people have seen, but it's better to come in and see them for yourselves and use them. And we love showing people around here and giving tours and telling them what certain rooms are going to be used for and things like that, it's great sharing that with the community. So come on out and see for yourself what all is going on here,” Quint said. “The next project we'll be working on is working to turn the old library room into a large meeting room and ultimately the Liberal City Commission chambers, so we're eager to get working on that. We have the drawings and designs ready to go and we're ready to get working on making that project happen. Then we'll also be working on a bunch of other projects throughout the building, it's going to be amazing when everything is fully set up in here. I want to give another shout-out to the community, they've been amazing through this whole process. I also want to give a big thanks to the Parks Department, the Water Department and so many others because basically every City of Liberal department has been in on this and helping it move forward, so I can't thank the city enough. When we started this six years ago, so many people said 'This will NEVER happen' and today is when we cut the ribbon and opened the first part, so that's really showed us to keep pushing and keep moving forward in making things happen if you really want it.”
Liberal Mayor Connie Seigrist also shared her thoughts on the project at the end of the ceremony Wednesday.
“I have been wanting to see this happen for more than 30 years because this is something the community has wanted and needed, and it got to the point where I wondered if I was going to live to see this project come to fruition,” Seigrist said. “I'm proud to stand here today and say I did live to see this happen, this will be great for Liberal.”