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Once upon a time the Kenai Community Library wished for an expansion to meet the growing needs of the community.

After years of planning, lobbying and fundraising, the library is finally getting its wish granted when the city of Kenai goes out for construction bids next week.

"It's all going according to schedule," said Kevin Lyon, project manager for the city, adding that the contract will be awarded in April in the hopes of beginning expansion work at the end of that month. "I want them in there as soon as possible."

The expansion will basically double the size of the 10,000-square-foot building, said Mary Jo Joiner, the library's director.

"We're hoping to really increase the people space and make it a place for people to be," she said. Joiner explained the floor plans for the expansion include several meeting rooms, quiet areas, a children's library and more space for programming as well as two lounge areas separated by a double-sided fireplace.

"There will be little nooks and crannies it's going to be really nice," she said.

Currently the library is "pretty much tapped out" with little room for youth programming and library materials, Joiner said.

The last library expansion was in 1986, according to Donna Peterson, retired borough school district superintendent and a Friend of the Kenai Community Library member. That expansion doubled the size of the 5,000-square-foot original library building from 1976.

"There's been a lot of growth on the Peninsula since then," Peterson said.

The library has 16,000 present cardholders, half of those Kenai residents and many others from around the Peninsula and out-of-state, Joiner said.

The library easily checks out more than 10,000 volumes a month, said Kathy Heus, a friend of the library and former member of the library commission and board.

"It is such a vital part of the community because I think there's more people that use it than people realize," she said. "We have people from all walks of life that use it."

The Friends of the Kenai Community Library organization initially tried to get a bond passed by voters for the expansion in 1996 but it failed by a slim margin. In 2005, city council allotted $20,000 to architecturally evaluate the facility and a possible expansion. Kenai voters approved $2 million in bonds in 2007 to partially finance the $5.3 million project.

At a city council meeting earlier this month, the council approved the authorization for the $2 million in bonds, which the bond bank approved to move forward and sell.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will save Kenai some money on the sale of the bonds. Through the act, Kenai had the ability to issue taxable debt and receive a subsidy by passing a resolution identifying the city as an economic recovery zone. The stimulus funds will make the cost of the debt cheaper for the city by paying some interest on the bonds.

The expansion plans outline and anticipate the community's needs for the next 20 years, with more room for technology and to house its large collection of materials.

"We're going for the future here," Lyon said.

The library will not shut down during construction. The library expansion will be completed in the coming spring, Peterson said, with renovation to the old library completed next fall.

The only thing the library needs now is the funds to provide the finishing touches and furnishings to the addition.

The city has "enough money to do the addition but not complete everything that's in the addition," Heus said.

That's where the library is calling on the community to be the fairy godmother.

"We have the opportunity for a challenge grant from the Rasmuson Foundation," explained Peterson, about the $200,000, two-to-one matching grant. "What they want are matching funds here locally."

Fundraisers put on by Friends of the Kenai Community Library, like a "Spring Fling" auction event and opportunities to sponsor a fireplace tile in the new expansion are what the group hopes will make up the difference. The organization is at about $100,000 so far, leaving $300,000 to match foundation's challenge.

Peterson explained the various levels of giving correspond to bigger tiles engraved with contributor's names.

"We're trying to make sure people know about this opportunity," she said "This is the only time you can buy those."

Other "memorials in construction" are available for businesses and community members too. People can opt to purchase letters for an alphabet wall in the children's area.

Or "they could buy a whole multipurpose room for a mere $150,000," she said. "We would put up a plaque saying they did that."

Peterson said she believes the community will rise to the occasion to meet the requirements of the challenge grant to complete the library.

"We have a great community and they come together for the things they believe in and this is something the community believes in," she said.

Brielle Schaeffer can be reached at brielle.schaeffer@peninsulaclarion.com.