Autauga County Opens Liberty Fields Youth Complex at Pine Level Park

For years, Pine Level families faced a familiar weeknight dilemma: one child on a baseball field in Prattville at 6 p.m., another somewhere in Marbury at 7. Monday evening at 160 County Road 104, that problem got a $2.08 million answer.

Autauga County Commission Chairman Jay Thompson named it plainly at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Liberty Fields at Pine Level Park. "It was hard for mom and dad to split up and go watch one child play at 6 o'clock and the other child play at 7," Thompson told the crowd. "They wanted to be at the same place and same fields, and now that can happen."

The complex opened March 30 after roughly 15 years of planning, making it one of the longest-anticipated public investments in the county's fastest-growing corridor. Total project cost came to approximately $2.08 million: $1,019,616 from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and a county match of $1,080,384.

Kenneth Boswell, ADECA's director, attended on behalf of Governor Kay Ivey and tied the park to both immediate need and national moment. "As we approach our nation's 250th birthday, how great it is to be at a ribbon cutting where our young children can enjoy the future," Boswell said. "There are a lot of things that can be learned on and off that field."

State Rep. Ivan "Van" Smith credited sustained intergovernmental partnership for delivering the project after more than a decade of planning. "This park is more than an athletic field or equipment," Smith said.

Thompson also addressed why the word "Liberty" was chosen for the facility's name. "Liberty is more than a word or a piece of history; it is a living idea," he said. "It thrives in open fields, in open hearts, in our hometowns, and along our highways. It is found in the laughter of our children, the cheers of our communities, and the moments when neighbors come together."

The ceremony included the Prattville JROTC presenting colors, an invocation by Pine Level Mayor Zachary Bigley, and the formal dedication of a Princeton Elm planted on-site as a Liberty Tree. The tree was designated through America250, the national program marking the U.S. semiquincentennial, tying the new park permanently to the country's 250th anniversary commemoration.

Immediately after the ribbon cutting, the first organized game was played at the complex, transitioning the facility from construction to live competition within the same evening. County officials said league scheduling, programming, and maintenance plans are being finalized as Liberty Fields enters regular operations.

The complex is intended to serve Pine Level, Marbury, and the unincorporated areas of Autauga County by consolidating youth sports activity into a single, publicly accessible venue capable of hosting tournaments. County leaders projected that tournament visitors would generate economic activity at local restaurants, hotels, and retailers throughout the region.