City and County officials tossed dirt around and read from a children's book as part of the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fairfax City Regional Library building on Friday, Sept. 23.
The ceremony, held on the site of the future library building, currently a parking lot on the corner of Old Lee Highway and North Street, saw a "great turnout," said Tina Cunningham, branch manager of the Fairfax City Library.
"People are really supportive of it," she said. The old library, located on the corner of Chain Bridge Road and Whitehead Street, has been due for renovations for some time, she said, but money issues kept delaying the process. The current library has a host of problems such as an outdated infrastructure, roof problems and too few parking spaces.
The renovations had always been part of the Old Town redevelopment plan, said Cunningham, but Bobby Montagne of Walnut Street Development approached her and suggested building a library at the new site.
"I just about had heart failure at the thought of building a new library," said Cunningham. "This is a wonderful solution."
"The other libraries have been updated with all the new technology," said Cathy Belter, Springfield District representative to the Fairfax County School Board. "That is one of the things the new library will have … it really helps because then the kids can go do their thing."
The library will also have an expanded Virginia Room, said assistant branch manager Kathy Hoffman. The Virginia Room is home to historical artifacts and resources used by researchers across the state, she said.
The new Virginia Room will be the same size as the Great Falls library, said Hoffman, and will allow much more room for displays and exhibits.
"It will really be able to focus on the state of Virginia and its genealogy," said Hoffman.
— Lea Mae Rice