CANDIA — After being closed for more than 10 years, unused and largely bookless, the old Candia library would open as a public meeting place if the Heritage Commission can secure funding for the project.

The commission now is securing funding for the project, though no figures are available. A public hearing will be held Nov. 5 to present to the necessary expenses to the town and discuss Candia’s options with the project.

The Smyth Memorial Building,, built in 1932 and named for benefactor Frederick Smyth, who served as governor from 1865 to 1867, was closed in 2002 when a new library was built. It had become too small and was deemed architecturally unfit for expansion.

Refurbishing the building as been in the town’s capital improvement plan since then, but only in the last two years has the project found momentum under the Heritage Commission.

If completed, the building would hold up to 49 people for meetings, events, demonstrations, recitals, and other events. Central to the project is the preservation of the structure’s Colonial Revival style.

The main room would remain largely unchanged, with the shelves being removed, and the worn cork floor duplicated and replaced.

Other rooms would be reworked significantly to accommodate bathrooms and handicap access.

“We’re very anxious to see this get back into town use,” said Heritage Commission Chair Diane Philbrick. “To have this beautiful place locked up seems a shame.”

The building also could provide storage for town records from the Fitz Town Museum across the street, as the brick building is better equipped to handle fire.

Representatives from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance have inspected the building at the request of the Heritage Commission, creating a list of “character-defining features, what makes this building specifically, historically what it is,” Philbrick said.

With moderate-sized grants from the NHPA and the National Trust for Historic Renovation, the town hired architectural consultant Richard Monahan, to complete designs. Ross Construction was hired as contractor.

“We have all of the raw materials ready,” Philbrick said.

To minimize the burden on taxpayers, the commission hopes to secure grants and use volunteer labor. A donation campaign, set up in the name of the late Heritage Commissioner Ron Thomas by his family, is also ongoing.

In 2007, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and the New Hampshire Register of State Historic Places.

Recently, the commission applied to have the building added to the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance’s “Seven to Save” list. The results of that bid will be announced Oct. 16.

None of these designations carry grant awards or explicit legal protection and are largely symbolic.

Commission members believe much of the cost could be carried by town warrant articles and are watching their “Seven to Save” bid closely in the hope that receiving it will help justify the project to townspeople.

“The state and federal registers, if you’re going to go and apply for a grant, the grant people can see that there’s some real backing here, this building is really worthy,” said Philbrick. “Seven to Save doesn’t give us dollars, but it gives us a great backing to go out, and whether it’s to look for grants, or to be convincing to the town that this is an extremely worthy project.”

bclogston@newstote.com