County Board candidates say economic uncertainties make it unlikely a new branch library for Columbia Pike is on the horizon.
“I would love to see a [new] library on Columbia Pike,” Julie Farnam said at a July 20 candidate forum sponsored by the Douglas Park Civic Association. “But right now, I think that’s not feasible.”
Farnam and James DeVita are challenging incumbent Matt de Ferranti in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. Also participating in the Douglas Park forum were independents David Sisson and Audrey Clement.
Douglas Park is located between Columbia Pike to the north and Shirlington to the south. Civic association president Steve Jordan Tomaszewski asked candidates about their thoughts on a new library.
Of the five, only DeVita expressed an interest in pursuing the idea at the moment.
“If there is a proposal … I would fund it,” he said.
Other contenders, however, said it should not be a capital-spending priority:
- “I don’t think the money exists right now,” Sisson said.
- “I do not advocate investment in a new library at this time,” Clement said.
De Ferranti said he was prioritizing the completion of Penrose Square over a new Columbia Pike library branch, but he hopes to eventually see a new library and permanent home for the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington in the Pike corridor.
Given fiscal constraints, de Ferranti said the county government is “not going to be going big on new construction” in the foreseeable future.
Sisson — the lone candidate making his first bid for elected office — said he hoped a new library could be part of some future mixed-use redevelopment project in the Pike corridor.
That drew pushback from Farnam, who pointed to similar county commitments regarding a community library in Crystal City that did not pan out.
“The people in Crystal City [could tell you] that is not going to happen,” she said.
The two-story Columbia Pike branch library is part of the Arlington Career Center (soon to be Grace Hopper Center) campus along S. Walter Reed Drive. Farnam suggested that instead of a replacement, efforts should focus on improving the library’s visibility and upgrading its offerings.
“What do we do to get more people there?” she asked. “A library is so much more than books.”
Looking long-term, the county government owns a parcel on the south side of Columbia Pike just a few blocks west of the Career Center.
A former bank site, the parcel was purchased by the county government to provide parking during the Grace Hopper Center’s construction. No long-term use for the site has been identified, but a standalone library or multipurpose facility including a library could be considered.
During the candidate forum, DeVita said he’d like to “put a library in every precinct in Arlington.”
Noting that the county was split into 54 voting precincts, de Ferranti said the idea was impractical to the extreme.
“We can’t put a library in every precinct,” the incumbent said, acknowledging that “I love the general sentiment.”
After the debate, DeVita confirmed to ARLnow that he indeed would like to see a community library in every voting precinct.
“If we can’t afford to fund it with tax dollars, and I acknowledge that we can’t, I’d seek out private donations to make this happen,” he said.
