FOLEY — Plans for the Foley Centennial Plaza continue to move forward, thanks to community participation.

During Monday’s Foley City Council meeting, Foley Elementary School Principal Dr. William Lawrence, along with several of his students, presented the Centennial Committee with a check for $2,500. The school raised the money in an effort to pay for half of the construction of the plaza’s north entrance.

“The high school and elementary school committed to a $5,000 sum,” JaNay Dawson of the Centennial Committee said in Monday’s Foley City Council work session.

She added that to date, contributions and commitments for the plaza’s construction come in at $123,323.83 and that opportunities to contribute remain.

“We’ve had such support,” Dawson said. “It’s been very well received.”

As previously reported, last October the city of Foley unveiled its plans to mark its 2015 centennial with a celebration and a plaza containing a bell tower. At that time, Dawson announced that several commemorative opportunities to fund various portions of the structure were available. However, Dawson said those opportunities are dwindling as businesses and residents pitch in.

“Most of the large columns are gone,” she said. “We have one small column left, and we have 19 medium columns left.”

Dawson added that pavers, which are 18-by-36 inches in size and allow for 15 characters per line on three lines to be printed on them remain, as do songs for the bell tower.

“You’ll be breaking ground about 18 months beforehand?” Foley Mayor John Koniar asked of the tower, which is slated to be completed by the Jan. 8, 2015 centennial.

Committee members present at the meeting affirmed that estimation.