Will Senoia’s proposed new library be built in the near future?

That’s an answer city administrator Richard Ferry hopes to get when he meets with Coweta County officials today.

In January, the city of Senoia approved a design for its new library.

The library is set to be be built in the city’s park on Seavy Street and is part of an ambitious makeover of the city’s largest park.

But in May, the City Council learned its library site was being dismissed by state officials.

The Council reacted with surprise as Library Board attorney Mark Mitchell said a state official from the library system had visited the site in the city’s park and said there were two main problems: being too close to power lines and the railroad tracks.

Mitchell told the City Council it could try and convince the state the site would work, or look for another site. The sticking point is the city applied for a state grant in 2005 to build the library, but thought it was not going to receive the money.

In May, it looked like the city would receive the $1.2 million grant, but later learned the funding was not to be.

At the March meeting, library board member Liz Camp said the city had applied for the grant back in 2005, which was prior to her being appointed to the board. The city is receiving $500,000 in SPLOST funds and county labor to build the library, and Camp said the county was not aware the city planned to break ground in late April.

Ferry said plans are still being made to build the library in the park.

“We have not been told by anybody that we should have an alternative site,” he said.

The building’s original budget was $500,000, but has expanded to more than $700,000 because of the construction delays.

“We also plan to nail down who’s going to pay the extra money,” Ferry added.

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