FOLEY – While work continues on the new Foley Public Library, the city is also developing plans to improve access to the current building for its new role as the municipal Senior Center.
The Foley City Council approved funding for access improvements at the library building west of City Hall.
The new library is under construction on East Orange Avenue. When that facility is completed in 2026, current plans call for the existing library building to be renovated and the ground floor converted into a municipal Senior Center. The second floor will be used for city administrative offices.
Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the work to improve access for residents with disabilities will be useful for older residents using the Senior Center.
“It’s going to become more important,” Hellmich said. “Once we convert this to a Senior Citizens Center, we need to make sure that it’s perfect, front and back. We’ll be making some changes to the outside of the building in regard to the sidewalk and, possibly parking. We have to make this very accessible and very well lit.”
Moving the Senior Center to the current library building will double the space available for activities for older residents. The current Senior Center has about 7,000 square feet of space. The library ground floor has about 14,000 square feet of space.
The library facility now under construction will have about 40,000 square feet of space. The center will include a sensory room, separate children’s and teens’ activity areas and a large multi-purpose room that seats 277. Other facilities planned for the new library include a STEAM-STEM lab and spaces for programs such as special-needs activities.
The new Foley Public Library is scheduled to open in the spring of 2026.