FOLEY, Ala. — Plans for a Foley Fire Station in the Glen Lakes subdivisions are moving forward.

In its regular meeting Monday, the Foley City Council approved a $868,000 contract with G.M. Stuart for the construction of Foley Fire Station Three.

This came after the city rejected bids earlier this summer for the project when they exceeded the project’s $600,000 budget. Upon that action, the Foley Fire Department tweaked plans with a target budget of $800,000. However, again bids exceeded the estimate.

“The bids did not come back nearly as favorable as we hoped,” Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby told the City Council in Monday’s work session.

He attributed that to the recent rise in building costs.

“In talking with bidders, I found that construction has increased from $120 per square foot to $180 per square foot,” he said.

As previously reported, a sign went up in July 2013 at the future home of Fire Station Three, which is situated at the intersection of County Road 20 and Fairview Drive.

Fire Station Three is set to serve the Foley’s most populated subdivision that houses more than 500 residents. The endeavor was first brought to the City Council in June 2012 by Glen Lakes residents David and Sue Vosloh after they approached Darby about the possibility of donating land in the southwest Foley subdivision to the Foley Fire Department if a fully-manned fire station would be placed there. Darby brought the proposal to the Council, who authorized a survey of the land on which the future site sits.

Then in November 2012, Darby returned to the Council, explaining that Vosloh had been out of town and with his return, it was possible to move forward with the project. That move, he added, included survey revealed that the land in question was housed on two parcels of land and that only the southwest corner would be needed for the fire station.

In December 2012, Darby reported to the Council that he brought the venture to the Foley Planning Commission and continued work on the project found that 0.33 acre was needed for the fire station, adding that the land, which would draw on the Wolf Bay Watershed, was valued at $30,000.

The City Council then awarded David Adams of Adams Stewart LLC in Robertsdale the architect contract for the construction of the fire house at a cost of up to $43,000. The firm was selected for its experience in fire-station construction, which includes Bay Minette and Gulf Shores.

Upon bringing bids before the City Council Monday, Darby said the following options could be taken: The City Council could do nothing, the City Council could reject these bids and rebid the project again or they could accept the lowest bid received and make efforts to reduce that cost if possible.

Upon discussion, the Council opted to accept the bid submitted by G.M. Stuart.

“We’ve been through it a couple of times,” Council President Wayne Trawick said. “We need to go ahead and take the low bid.”

Vosloh estimated that construction of the facility would take between six and eight months to complete.

Once finished, the Glen Lakes Fire Station is expected to staff nine full-time firefighters at a cost of $600,000 to the city. In addition, the venture could shave 10 minutes off the Foley Fire Department’s response time to the Glen Lakes area.