Manassas has plans for the city’s DMV office, and for a new bronze statue

MANASSAS — The City of Manassas is planning projects for the fiscal year 2020 that will add park space to a historic site, give residents a one-stop shop for city customer service, and honor a local hero and champion of education.  

The Manassas Customer Service Center

City officials want to make it easier for residents to walk in and pay their municipal bills.

“This will be where residents can come for utility billing and customer service, and the services provided by the Treasurer and Commissioner of the Revenue. This will enable residents to have one location where they can go for these services instead of several – a one-stop shop,” Patty Prince, communications manager for the City of Manassas, said in an email.

The customer service center will be located at 9800 Godwin Drive, which is currently leased by the Virginia DMV.

“The DMV will relocate to a new space and then city staff will start transitioning into space.  The City of Manassas owns this building and currently rents the facility to the DMV,” Prince said.

The Manassas City Council in 2017 voted to grant a three-year lease extension to the DMV. At the time, Economic Development Director Patrick Small said the DMV may choose to locate somewhere else in the city.

The current DMV office is not part of the Landing at Cannon Branch development which features new homes, and a soon-to-be-built Tru by Hilton hotel.

The proposed budget for the Manassas Customer Service Center is $160,000.

Annaberg Manor

This historic house was once owned by Robert Portner, a brewer who moved from Alexandria to Manassas in the 1800s. It was one of the first homes to have air conditioning.

“The house will be stabilized and the surrounding green space will be turned into a park for the community,” Prince said.

She continued, “Public park space is always a great amenity for communities.”

According to Prince, there is not yet a date set to begin construction.

“For Annaburg, work will not start until everything is formalized, but that should be pretty soon,” she said.

The proposed budget for these improvements is $35,000.

The city purchased the property last year for nearly $850,000. In October, city officials told Potomac Local they hoped a non-profit organization would step up to help revitalize the old house.

Jennie Dean Memorial

A city park now memorializes one of the city’s heroes, Jennie Dean, and now officials want to erect a statue in her honor.

“Jennie Dean raised funds for and helped build the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth in 1893 that ran until 1937, years after Jennie Dean’s death in 1913,” Prince said.

The first phase of the memorial park, dedicated in 1995, replicated foundations and a model of the original industrial school campus, an information kiosk, parking, and gravel walkways.

“The Manassas Industrial School/Jennie Dean Memorial update seeks to encourage more of the community to visit, linger, and learn about Jennie Dean’s rich legacy. Phase one of the $350,000 project includes installation of a long-planned bronze statue and a surrounding plaza with enhanced landscaping,” said Prince

Local artist Chris Hill’s proposed statue depicts Jennie Dean as the dynamic woman she was.

“It will be an impressive focal point of the memorial,” Prince said.

The proposed budget for this project is $175,000. The remainder of the $350,000 needed is being raised by The Manassas Museum Associates, a non-profit dedicated to helping fund the Manassas Museum in downtown Manassas.

“About $70,000 has been raised to date,” Prince said.

City Manager Patrick Pate released his proposed $245.4 million budget for the fiscal year  2020, which includes these capital projects. Part of the five-year capital improvement program, all projects in this category cost over $100,000 and have a useful life of at least 10 years, according to the budget.

The proposed general fund has a proposed budget of $420,000.