FOLEY — Construction of the new Foley Public Library building and community center will begin soon.

Foley City Council voted Monday, Nov. 18, to accept a nearly $18 million bid from White-Spunner Construction to build the facility.

Kate Norris, library director, said the bid was less than expected, resulting in savings for the city.

"We had originally planned this project to be about $22 million," she said.

The bid does not include some additional costs, such as furniture, audiovisual equipment or architectural fees.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the total price of the project will still be less than projected.

"That right there will be a step toward watching what we do this year because this was planned in the budget at $22 million," he said.

Hellmich praised city staff members who have been working on the project for more than a year.

"It has taken a lot of work to get to this point," Hellmich said. "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."

The library will be on South Chicago Street next to Foley Dog Park.

The new two-story facility will be about 40,000 square feet, almost twice the size of the current library next to City Hall.

The library building will also be a community center, with meeting space, an auditorium, computer labs and study rooms, as well as a bookstore. The new building will have an expanded children's area and a multipurpose room that can serve as a meeting space and auditorium.

Other facilities planned for the new library include a STEAM-STEM lab and spaces for programs such as special-needs activities.