VIDALIA &045;&045; Build it, and they will come &045;&045; but they have to have some place to park their cars.

In a special meeting Thursday night, the Vidalia Board of Aldermen asked for land to put a parking lot adjacent to the Gateway and Welcome Center the town will bid out this summer.

Neither the town nor Riverpark are &uot;losing or gaining anything,&uot; according to Town Attorney Jack McLemore, &uot;but moving stuff around.&uot;

The board authorized the town of Vidalia to exchange a tract of land originally offered to the owners of Riverpark Medical Center with a tract in a different location.

Aldermen have asked to use a tract closest to the welcome center site for parking for the center. In turn, the town will add a .47-acre tract to land opposite the bridge &045;&045; land Riverpark’s doctors have an option to lease.

Also Thursday night, the board voted to consolidate three requests for capital outlay grants into one request, totaling $22 million.

The requests are for funding for the loading and unloading facility, for infrastructure for business locating in the industrial park and for an electric transmission line.

The money and building of the three will come in phases, said Mayor Hyram Copeland.