FOLEY — A new pavilion and restrooms are part of plans for improvements at Foley's Max Griffin Park near the new Sara Thompson Kids Park.

The city is going out for bids to rebuild the pavilion located next to the Kids Park site. The Kids Park reopened earlier this year after being rebuilt at a cost of $1.2 million.

Jeff Lee, Foley Parks and Recreation director, said that since the playground reopened, the city can now rebuild the pavilion to provide shade and shelter for visitors to the site.

""This is repurposing the old pavilion that was with the previous kids park," Lee told city council members Nov. 6. "We had to work with a structural engineer to bring it up to code. Now we want to take it to bid and get it moved, have a concrete pad placed with a sidewalk leading to it inside the fence that we put up a few months ago."

The work includes minor grading, pouring a concrete pad and sidewalk, moving the existing pavilion to the new location and installing new support posts needed to meet building code requirements.

The new Kids Park opened May 27, replacing the facility that had been in place since 2001. After the reopening, the city replaced the fence around the site.

The city is also adding new restrooms near the Kids Park site.

The council also approved a capital project to add a new bathroom building next to the Kids Park. The city will place a prefabricated building at the site.

The new building will be in place when the current restrooms near the site are demolished. The city plans to replace the municipal swimming pool near the Kids Park with a new facility by the 2025 fiscal year.

Lee said placing the new building at the site now will ensure that restroom facilities are available after demolition and construction begins.

"We need to go ahead and get the ball rolling on this one as well with a future plan of Aquatic Center, which would demo the existing exterior bathrooms that we have at the Max Griffin Pool right now," Lee said. "So this will provide bathrooms to the Kids Park and that east side of the park."