City and State Leaders Break Ground on Libertas Academy and the Riverbend Athletic Complex
The Woodruff Times reports that officials and residents broke ground on a tuition-free charter school slated to open in August 2026 and a county-run sports complex expected in 2027.
On October 17, 2025, The Woodruff Times reported on a groundbreaking ceremony in Woodruff for two projects. Here is our summary of that reporting.
Libertas Academy Woodruff: The Times describes it as a tuition-free public charter school authorized by the Charter Institute at Erskine, scheduled to open in August 2026. Celina Patton is the school director.
Riverbend Athletic Complex: Per the Times, the complex is being developed with Spartanburg County Parks and Recreation, which will operate it once built. Planned features include four full-size turf fields for baseball, softball, soccer and flag football, plus walking trails, pickleball courts, a dog park and a boat launch. Mayor Kenneth Gist said it is expected to open in 2027.
Who took part: The paper lists City Manager Lee Bailey, who led the ceremony; City Chaplain Derrick Scurry; Mayor Gist; State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver; Charter Institute at Erskine CEO and Superintendent Cameron Runyan; and OneSpartanburg President and CEO Allen Smith, along with members of City Council. The project partners it names are Goodwyn Mills Cawood, TrueNorth Construction and Bluewater Civil Design.
Costs: The Times does not report a dollar figure for either project, so we do not state one.
This is a summary in our own words. Read the full story, with photos by Tracy Sanders, at The Woodruff Times.