A new library for Manassas and Manassas Park? Panel to examine the fate of Central Library.

Central Library provides books, reference materials, and online access to people in Manassas, Manassas Park, and those who live in cities’ outskirts in Prince William County.

The 45-year-old building sits on Mathis Avenue on a tract of land just barely located in Prince William. The land was a gift from Manassas Park.

Central Library is reaching the end of its useful life, said Manassas City Manager Patrick Pate. Now a new committee this year will ask residents what to do with Central, and some of the options include renovate it, move it, or do nothing.

“If it’s relocated, Manassas would like a full-service library, ” said Pate.

Some much-talked about sites for a new library in the city are downtown, possibly co-located with the Manassas Museum. Since the city’s downtown section serves as its core and attracts people to events, festivals, and restaurants, said Pate, there’s not been much talk about putting a new library anywhere else in Manassas.

Mayor Frank Jones in neighboring Manassas Park also would like to see a library in his city if Central Library is closed and moved.

“Sure, I would like to see a community library in our neck of the woods. The challenge is how to best provide service,” said Jones. “So, would I like to see one? Yes. Is there a cost efficiency issue? Yes.”

All of this talk about what to do with Central Library comes on the heels of a new 5-year agreement between both cities and Prince William County. Together, all three jurisdictions fund the Prince William County Library System that includes 11 branches.

No library branch is located in Manassas or Manassas Park. And when the county last year opened two new large community libraries at a combined cost of $24 million, at two opposite ends of the county that probably wouldn’t attract many city residents, Manassas Park threatened to pull out of the system altogether.

That city didn’t want to fund the additional cost of new libraries its residents weren’t going to use, said Jones.

Leaders came together and signed the 5-year deal that clears the two cities from funding the two new libraries, or any new library that opens in the county. It saved Manassas $800,000 per year and Manassas Park about $300,000 a year.

“It wasn’t found money in our budget. It was more like we didn’t have to raise taxes or cut services to fund the new libraries,” said Pate.

The agreement also called for a new committee to examine what to do with the old Central Library. It is expected to hold public meetings later this year.

Those meetings come as the Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of requesting information from private companies on how to best privatize the library system’s management.

Whatever city and county leaders decide to do with Central Library, whether the replace it with a new building in the county, more open new libraries in the respective cities, those libraries will remain a part of the Prince William County Library System.

“When you have economies of scale, and you’re talking about buying books and research materials, most times you only need one set of those for a system, so it’s better to be a part of a regional system,” said Pate.

Jones said he was “happy to see the library expand” its services and offerings, especially those offered on the internet.

“The online services, many of our citizens will be able to use those,” said Jones.

There’s also a land deal that came about the same time of the new library agreement. The county on Tuesday returned a piece of vacant land just outside Central Library to Manassas Park.

When Manassas Park donated the land for Central Library back in the 70s for use for a library, the agreement stipulated what wasn’t used must be returned to the city, said Jones.

Manassas Park took Prince William County to court for judgment on the property. The new library agreement and the county’s decision to give back the land are separate issues, said Jones.