West Liberty residents, Ryan and Tana Deahr, have given $10,000 to the West Liberty Schools athletic complex project.
The Deahrs reside on a farm outside of West Liberty and have three children in the district. They are giving money to provide landscaping and trees around the concession stand patio area.
“The concession area at the new stadium is going to be very nice,” said Activities Director, Adam Loria. “It’s going to be larger and centrally located in the middle of all the fields. We have a patio area planned so there can be benches and picnic tables for seating. It will be great to have landscaping and trees to provide shade coverage. This is especially nice for older patrons and families with young children who need to sit down to eat. I’m very appreciative of this gift from the Deahr family and think it will have a big impact on beautification of the complex.”
Ryan Deahr is a West Liberty graduate and he and Tana raise hogs and farm with Ryan’s parents, Mike and Sue Deahr, who have also donated to the project. The Deahr family has always prioritized giving back to the community.
“I don’t want to wait until I’m 60 years old to start giving to the community,” said Ryan. “When you are older your kids are grown, maybe you’re retired, so giving is a little easier, but it’s also doable when you’re young. Everything Tana and I do now will benefit our family for a long time.”
The Deahrs have two daughters, Callie and Blakely, involved in music and athletics, and their youngest, a son Wade, will start kindergarten in the fall. The Deahrs love watching their children participate in activities with their friends.
“We believe this will have a big impact on the future for our kids and all the children in the district,” said Tana. “We really enjoy watching our kids and their friends in extracurricular activities. This is going to be a huge enhancement for West Liberty.”
The first part of the project is getting close to going to bid. The plan is to bid the groundwork in early July and start in August. The fields and building structures will go to bid in early fall and hopefully start construction in October.
“We are still on track,” said Superintendent Shaun Kruger. “We have final renderings and are working with the construction and architect firms to finalize bid documents. We had a great meeting with the Deahrs. It’s nice to be able to meet so many people from the same family. It helps me learn more about the kids in the district and I’m very grateful for the support from the all of the Deahrs."