After nearly 20 years of dreaming and hoping and, perhaps, a bit of praying, a new public library is now a reality for the City of Troy.

At its Tuesday meeting, the Troy City Council awarded the bid for the construction of the new Troy Public Library to Whaley Construction Company of Troy in the amount of $3,040,630.

Other bids were from Construction CGM, Inc. at $3,082,900 and, from First Team Construction, at $3,167,100.

Members of the Troy Public Library board responded to the award with bridled enthusiasm but were obviously overjoyed that a dream was finally coming true.

“We are just so excited and so appreciative,” said Rebecca Skibba, board chair. “This is the first time since Troy’s Carnegie Library that we will have a library that was designed as such. A new library will mean that we have adequate space and space to grow. We will be able to better serve our patrons now and in the future. I feel like a kid in a candy store.”

The board members gave credit for the vision and the plan to William White, library director.

Plans for the new library had to be modified to bring the project in on budget.

“William did an outstanding job of making adjustments to lower the cost without compensating the needs of the library,” Karen Bullard, library genealogist, said. “Most of the changes were aesthetic. We have what we need and we are delighted.”

Troy Mayor Jimmy Lunsford thanked White and the library board, which he said did a yeoman’s job in modifying the plans to make sure the bid came in on budget.

“I can remember when the city library was just a hole in the wall,” Lunsford said and added laughing that every time the library moved to a larger location he thought he was through with the library.

“When we moved in the TB&T building, I thought we would never outgrow it. We have. But, maybe now, I’m through with the library.”

Although it will be a year or more before the doors to the new library open, the board members said that they can wait.

“We’ve smelled the dust,” Bullard said, referring to the tearing down of the buildings to make space for the new Troy Public Library.

Susan Murphree added that the many years of dreaming are now down to 360 workdays and “That’s not long to wait, now.”

The council approved Insight Artistry Design LLC’s request for a restaurant retail liquor license. The business, Miss Colleen’s, is located on the corner of East Church Street and is owned and operated by Becky Linguiti, who said that she has no intentions of her restaurant becoming a lounge or a bar.

“The sale of alcoholic beverages will be limited and controlled,” she said. “The restaurant is named after my mother and I would do nothing to dishonor her. We have had requests for wine and beer to be served with meals and at wedding events – for dining, not for over indulgence.”

Councilman Charles Meeks told Linguiti that the restaurant would be checked from time to time and that, at no time, is alcohol to be sold to minors.

In other action, the council approved a license transfer for Discount Tobacco Outlet from its present location on Highway 231 to 1015 South Brundidge Street.

The council reappointed Kenny Campbell to the Airport Committee with his term to expire in April 2016.

In closing remarks, Lunsford said members of the Alabama Development Commission met with the council during its work session and will assist the council with redistricting based on the 2010 census.

“There will be some slight changes in some of the districts but public hearings will be held to inform our residents,” he said. “The South Brundidge Street project is moving along and the streets should began to be torn up right away.”