Foley Library E1732120875373 — A new library will soon be coming to Foley. (City of Foley)

The City of Foley has officially accepted a bid to construct a new public library and community center near the city’s dog park, roughly half a mile from the current library.

The bid from White-Spunner Construction came in at $17.99 million, over $4 million cheaper than the city originally planned. The city council approved the plan Nov. 18.

Keep reading to learn about more details on the project + when you can expect to see the library open in Foley.

Library + community center

Library Site — Foley will build a new public library on a site south of U.S. 98 near the city’s Dog Park. (City of Foley)

The new library will be constructed on South Chicago Street. The building will be nearly twice the size of the current library and it will include:

40,000 square feet
Meeting space
Auditorium
Computer labs
Study rooms

The city also has plans to add a STEAM-STEM lab and spaces for programs such as special-needs activities.

“It has taken a lot of work to get to this point. We had a lot of very good bids. I was very proud of that. We had something that came in pretty close. So it worked out really well.”
~ Ralph Hellmich, Foley mayor

Hellmich also said the new bid does not include the costs of furniture, audiovisual equipment or architectural fees but the city still expects to come in well under the original budget of $22 million.

The city has not provided any timeline on exactly when construction will begin or when the new library is expected to be open to the public.

In the meantime, check out upcoming events and more information on Foley’s current library.

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