The East Baton Rouge Parish Library has applied for a building permit to replace its downtown River Center branch. The new 50,000-square-foot branch is budgeted at $19 million.

Mary Stein, assistant library director, tells The Advocate (http://bit.ly/1NRZ5t3) construction documents for the new branch are currently being reviewed by the library system and the city-parish Department of Public Works.

Stein says the documents will be used to create a public bid package, which could go out as soon as August.

The new library has been in the works for several years. The Metro Council voted in 2010 to replace the existing River Center branch, after heated debate and opposition by many who thought the money should go toward bettering other libraries around the parish.