Patiently Waiting...

Yes, we are still waiting to break ground on the new library! After working on it for 3 years now, it can seem a little slow moving; even to me. Not a day goes by without someone asking at the library just how the new building project is coming along. So I thought that I would update the blog (wondering if anyone really reads this!) just in case we have anyone who is peeking in to see where we are at.

This past Monday we had our monthly South Benton Library Project board meeting. Each month, our faithful group gathers to report on the progress they've made for the past few weeks. There are our fund raising gurus, our event queen, our construction wonderguy, our city council liaison and more who each bring his or her dedication to the table. All in all we have about 12 very loyal and hard-working volunteers behind the scenes. They are making it happen. Getting the job done.

You might not see the progress they are making... but it's happening, I assure you. Grants have been written and submitted, meetings with Benton County Commissioners have happened, City Council members' hearts have been won over to the project and construction drawings have been drawn. There has been tons of action going on behind the scenes.

So why, people ask me, isn't the train on the depot sign moving? Good question! It's because we have been sitting on our 44% dollar figure for a long time now. But we have been making the most of that 44%! At this past meeting I heard a wonderful phrase used by our construction wonderguy. He said we are "bid ready". Meaning all we need is the rest of the money and we can start with the bidding process and then break ground and build. So what's the hold up? We are waiting to hear back from grants that have been written and submitted. The total amount on all these grants, if awarded to us, would bring us to 100% of the funds we need to break ground and build the new library.

That's why I'm waiting... patiently.