VIDALIA &045; Two years from now Vidalia’s library will look vastly different.

The little library tucked away in the old courthouse in downtown Vidalia is set to undergo a vast renovation and expansion this fall, Concordia Parish Libraries Director Amanda Taylor said.

The renovated library will be nearly four times its current size with a number of new amenities and a new look.

The library will have a children’s room, a large meeting room capable of seating about 80 people, a larger reading area and more public access computers, Taylor said.

&uot;Vidalia has had wonderful participation in all our programs,&uot; Taylor said. &uot;We wanted to give them more space, including the children’s room, a bigger space for lectures and more public access computers.&uot;

The new library will also have its own public entrance off of Texas Avenue with additional parking. Patrons have to enter through the courthouse currently. The new entrance will make it easier for handicapped patrons to get into the building.

But Taylor and members of the board are just as excited about how the building will look.

&uot;It’s going to be the most upscale building in town,&uot; library board member Eleanor Talley said. &uot;I think Vidalia will be every bit as pretty as (the Ferriday library) is, and it will provide more services to our constituency.&uot;

Taylor said a call for construction bids on the project will be put out Aug. 18.

The library’s board of directors will meet Aug. 23 to review the bids and, provided they are close to the $1 million price the library has set for the project, likely accept one.

If a bid is accepted at that meeting, construction would likely begin in September with the project finishing sometime late 2006 or early 2007.

Copies of the construction blueprints are available for viewing by the public at the Vidalia and Ferriday libraries.

The project will be the latest in a string of projects the Concordia Parish libraries have undertaken, including construction projects at the Clayton library, a new Ferriday library and a new bookmobile.

And, provided the construction does not run much over the projected cost, the library won’t be forced to borrow any money.

The library has saved money from an ad valorem tax voters approved in 1998 for library maintenance and construction. The tax, which helped pay for the Clayton and Ferriday projects, has given the library enough money to pay for the entire cost of the Vidalia project, Taylor said.

&uot;We operate on a daily basis very conservatively with this project in mind,&uot; Taylor said. &uot;When we did the Ferriday library we had saved and it was paid for. That’s what we want to do here as well.&uot;

Board members said that paying for the project without borrowing money or getting a bond issue was a priority.

&uot;That’s what is so exciting,&uot; library board member Marjorie Vogt said. &uot;We have worked for so long to save the money for it as we did for the Ferriday library. It’s a great thing we are able to do.&uot;

Taylor said the library has saved about

$980,000. Unless construction bids come in higher than expected, that should pay for the project, with future tax money helping to pay for maintenance and things like furniture.