High-priority school, road and jail construction will dominate spending in Prince William County over the next five years, likely forcing voter-approved park and library plans to be shelved, officials reported Tuesday.

With 4,800 students learning primarily in temporary classrooms, residents constantly asking for more road funding and the jail facing rampant overcrowding, Prince William County Executive Craig Gerhart said there is little choice but to approve a plan aimed at the county’s top priorities.

The daunting list of projects includes 13 schools, four fire stations, a massive new police and fire training facility, and about $42 million in annual spending on roads.

Other priorities were rejected, including a work-release program designed to relieve overcrowding at the jail, new fire and police stations in the center of the county, and a larger animal shelter.

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Two library and park projects in Montclair and Gainesville already have been delayed and could be scuttled to save money for roads, schools and other projects, officials said.

County budget analysts are relying on projections from October, but if the hundreds of foreclosures in the county and declining property values damage the budget outlook, supervisors could have to revamp the plan.

The rejected projects and jeopardized library programs highlight that the spending plan is not as expansive as first thought, supervisors said.

“When I first looked at this, I thought it was an aggressive [plan], but it is not,” said Supervisor Maureen Caddigan, R-Dumfries. “Citizens do want the services, but they want lower taxes, so we need to be out there and up front with the citizens to show them what our needs are.”

The jail crisis reminded retiring Supervisor Hilda Barg, D-Woodbridge, of the time almost 20 years ago when the whole board was threatened with jail time if it didn’t expand the detention center.

“These aren’t things that can be put off,” she said.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com