The City of Manassas is considering privatizing its library services as a current agreement with the Prince William Public Library System is set to end July 1.
- CFO Todd Frager of the private firm Library Systems and Services (LS&S) presented a plan to the city during Thursday night’s city council work session.
- It would shift the city’s library’s services interests from Central Library on Mathis Avenue to a new location at Wellington Plaza shopping center, at Wellington Road and Grant Avenue.
- The city currently contracts with Prince William County to provide library services at Central, and that contract expires in April 2020.
- “We will not leave city residents without having access to library services,” City Manager Patrick Pate said. The City has an agreement with Prince William County if it takes a longer time to finalize the city’s library.”
The initial startup cost budget is $578,000, with an annual $1.2 million operating budget.
- The $1.2 million comes from the savings of pulling out of the current Prince William Library agreement.
- “Our intent is to be able to do all of this at a savings of what we are currently spending.” Pat Pate said.
Frager explained that LS&S does a “seamless transition” with library systems.
- LS&S currently is the third-largest library consortium in the U.S.and partners with 84 libraries. They provide all services, staffing, programming, and human resources.
- The city will own the library assets such as the furniture.
- “It’s all about that local control,” Frager said.
The projected space would be at the end cap in the Wellington Plaza that was originally slated for a Meineke auto repair shop.
- That project was scrapped after public outcry from residents of the Gatherings at Wellington Village retirement community, concerned about noise and visual impact of an auto repair shop near their homes.
- The 4,005 square-foot center was slated to have six bays, and be located on the end row of the shopping center.
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