Nearly $175,000.

On the afternoon of their deadline, Paul and Libby Carr counted $174,940 in donations to the Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project, coming in more than 11 percent over their target.

And the checks continue to pour in.

The total includes $10,550 left over from fund-raising by the Northwest Program for the Arts after it had the statue recast; and a pledge by Mayor Greg Nickels for $50,000 from the 2008 city budget.

In mid-December, their committee was $64,000 short. Two weeks ago, they were looking for the last $25,000. Last week, $15,000. On Thursday, Jack Tomkinson