The Foley City Council has approved $3,560,967 for the expansion of the city’s baseball and softball complex.

During Monday’s meeting, council members voted in favor of allocating the money to the city’s Recreation Department for the design and construction of a new 5-plex at the Foley Sports Complex, which is located west of downtown Foley on Cater Lee Way, between N. Hickory Street and County Road 65.

The project can now be bid on by interested construction firms.

The $3.65 million moved Monday is the final portion of the $4 million which was originally allotted for the project in a $17 million bond the city issued last July.

Along with the money for the expansion at the Foley Sports Complex, last year’s bond included money for various road and infrastructure projects.

The council previously approved $400,000 in early December for engineering services, construction oversight and additional architectural services related to the 5-plex project.

Foley Recreation Director David Thompson said recent estimates received showed the project could run over budget.

“We feel like we are probably going to go over the $4 million appropriation that we had for this particular project,” David Thompson said. “What we are asking for tonight is the money to move forward.”

City Administrator Michael Thompson said if the project did end up running over budget, the Recreation Department would have to come back to the council for additional funding.

“They haven’t bid this project out, so it has to go out to bid,” Michael Thompson said. “If he ends up needing more than $4 million, they’d have to come back to council for the additional funding, but if it came in under that $4 million total, he now has permission to go ahead with all of the work.”

David Thompson said the project remains on schedule to be completed by the end of the year.

“Our goal is to be planting [grass] this summer, so we can be growing the grass soon which is a significant savings over the sod we have used in the past, and will also provide us with a better field consistency,” he said.

The council also approved $13,500 for the design of a new championship-level disc golf course at Graham Creek Nature Preserve during Monday’s meeting.

 

Source : http://www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com

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