VIDALIA &8212; Work on the Vidalia Gateway and Welcome Center will begin by November.

Wayne Coco, the project architect, contractors and city officials met Friday for a pre-construction meeting to discuss specifics about the plan and set a schedule for work to begin.

&8220;After much consternation, we&8217;re finally ready to get going,&8221; Coco said, referring to some of the difficulties Vidalia had in the bidding process. The town went through three rounds of bidding before signing a contract with Don M. Barron Contractor Inc. Barron Inc. bid $4,269,000 with alternate bids of $112,000, $242,000 and $97,000.

The center will house the Louisiana Welcome Center, space to host conventions, an interpretive center, the Vidalia Chamber of Commerce and some other city offices.

The first step in the project is taking down some of the riverwalk that will be closest to the construction, Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said. City workers will take apart the riverwalk and try to save as much of the paving stones and other materials as possible.

&8220;I imagine we&8217;ll start that next week, probably,&8221; Copeland said.

More specific information about the closing of part of the riverwalk and the start of construction work will be available soon, Copeland said. Most of the riverwalk will still be open for public use throughout the duration of the construction project.

Plans then call for dirt work to begin Nov. 7, after which actual construction work will begin later this year. Should work proceed according to schedule, the project will be complete in late 2006.

Several contractors expressed concerns about available living space for some of their workers, since much of the area&8217;s hotel and rental space is still occupied by evacuees of Hurricane Katrina.

Copeland said he would work to secure hotel rooms or other lodging.