STANHOPE - As government entities throw taxpayers' dollars at recession-related problems, one resounding questions is, where is the money going?

Here's one answer: Stanhope.

The small Hamilton County town was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Iowa I-Jobs fund. The money will go toward constructing a new building that will house the city's library, city hall and community center on the corner of Iowa Highway 17 and Main Street.

"We found out about it, officially, last Monday," Polly Hayes, a library board member, said. "Dee (Weir, current librarian) and I drove to Waterloo to accept the check."

Mid-Iowa Development Association wrote the grant which earned 149 out of 200 possible points.

Securing the funds is only step forward, but it's a big one. In fact, it's the first big step in four years.

Polly Hayes, along with Suzanne Sogard, Pam Holtan, Cheryl Haman and Sondra Johnson, are the founders of the library project. With unbridled enthusiasm, the only problem the women ran into was unfamiliar legal terrain.

"We've never done anything like this before," Polly Hayes said. "We designed a floor plan and after that we weren't sure who we needed to go through."

So, in April, the board brought on Polly Hayes' husband Roger Hayes.

"We decided we needed an outsider give us some direction with plans," Polly Hayes said. "He got us on track and has experience as a project manager. He helped us go by the book."

The first plan of action was obtaining grant money, a task Polly Hayes was charged with.

Armed with numerous pieces of research, Hayes asked MIDAS, Hamilton County SEED and a friend, Laurel Tweed, to take up the task of stringing the information together into legible, winning grants.

"I spread out the grant writing between these three groups because it's too much for one person to take on," Polly Hayes said. "This way everyone wasn't overwhelmed, only I was."

Altogether grants applied for total $64,000, and Polly Hayes said the group will apply for more.

"We don't want to rely solely on grant money. We would like some big donors," Polly Hayes said, "but we're not a big wealthy town. However, every little bit helps."

And, the sooner those funds come in the better, the current library is crowded. Computers encroach the librarian's desk. Only one table is available for use, and a chair lift is the sole way handicapped citizens can access the library.

"The school district just handed out 380 new laptop computers," Polly Hayes said, "but there's not much room in here for the students to use the technology. We've been moving books around trying to come up with a teen space, but everyone is on top of each other. There's no way to be quiet."

Which is why Polly Hayes and company are so excited about their project.

The new library would provide ample space for tables, computers, books and a reading area. Not to mention an office for the librarian and storage space. The floor plans are also void of stairs to better serve those who are older or handicapped.

"We need to be handicap accessible or we could lose our ability to be a voting venue," Polly Hayes said.

As the money trickles in and the board spends more man-hours on this project, Polly Hayes believes their goal is worthwhile and attainable.

"We are a hangout place for a lot of the community kids," Polly Hayes said. "And we serve the entire town and rural population with books, movies and inter-library loans."

Polly Hayes said the new building could teach others about renewable energy since silver LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - certification is the goal for the new building.

"We hope the district would bring students out and show the kids how the building became certified," Polly Hayes said. Out of 110 points, the library building needs to score a 59. With a list of points, the board and engineer John Lott from Ames will discuss which energy savers best serve the community.

The next meeting for the library board is scheduled for Sept. 29. By then Polly Hayes hopes more numbers and dates - like a time to bid out the project - will be set for the construction project.

"We've been working on this for four years," Polly Hayes said, "and it's time to get things rolling."

Contact Lindsey Ory (515)573-2141 or lindsey@messengernews.net.