Prince George will build $3 million library branch

A new $3 million library branch in Prince George County could open by the end of next year.

The library, a branch of the Appomattox Regional Library System, would offer residents access to a collection of about 30,000 books, a small video collection and Wi-Fi.

The facility would include at least 20 computer workstations and a meeting room that could accommodate 100 people. Plans for green space and benches outside the building and Wi-Fi access outside also are being considered.

The county has picked a site adjacent to the county courthouse complex and Scott Memorial Park -- in the upper northeastern part of the county -- for the facility.

The site, which is in a developing area of the county, could see more growth in the next few years as a result of the expansion of Fort Lee as part of the 2005 military base realignment.

Architectural firm Enteros Design is developing the library design plans. The Petersburg firm is scheduled to complete the plans in five months, and the project will then open for bids from construction companies. It could take another year for construction to be completed, County Administrator John G. Kines Jr. said.

The county's budget for capital improvements for this year includes $2.5 million for the project. Prince George also has set aside an additional $250,000 to match a $250,000 federal grant for the project. The grant was awarded because the county is affected by the expansion of Fort Lee.

Scott Firestine, director of the Appomattox Regional Library System, said library circulation is expected to increase in the system as Fort Lee military and civilian families move to the area, many of them to Prince George.

Already, 36 percent of the usage at the library system headquarters in Hopewell is by Prince George residents, he said.

"Prince George deserves a very nice library," Firestine said.

The library, at 10,000 square feet, would be nearly three times the total size of Prince George's three existing libraries. The county's branches in the communities of Burrowsville, Carson and Disputanta have a combined 3,800 square feet.

Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or .