Photo: Matt Custer and Lindsey McClellan

The Lake Anna Summit, hosted by the Lake Anna Business Partnership, was a recent gathering aimed at fostering collaboration and sharing updates on projects in the Lake Anna area. Held on Tuesday, April 23rd from 3-5 pm, the summit featured 17 guest speakers who provided insights into ongoing and upcoming initiatives around Lake Anna. Attendees had the opportunity to network and stay informed about developments impacting the Lake Anna community.

Here are the Highlights:

Increased Law Enforcement and EMS

Supervisor Duane Adams reported the importance of being safe on the water this year, and reported an increase in law enforcement and EMS.

Spotsylvania County Efforts to Push Local Tourism

Kevin Marshall, Spotsylvania County Supervisor, reports that Lake Anna state park visitors are not stopping at Lake Anna for dinner. “We need to do a better job of promoting Lake Anna when it comes to our restaurant industry… doesn’t seem like those numbers were too impressive with me.” He noted that the county is putting some marketing dollars to work for the Lake Anna area this year.

Firefly Internet is Coming

Mark Ponton, Rappahannock Electric’s Director of Broadband and Fiber Services, was excited to announce that over 3,000 connections have been made to members and residents in the area, with 1,000 miles having already been constructed. He noted that the service was working in the Bumpass area towards Lake Anna, “I know this has been a long time coming, the partnership with firefly is working along very well to date with the project with where we are.” Read more about Firefly here.

Louisa County Parks and Rec is Booming

James Smith from Louisa County Parks and Rec shared the creation of a Tourism Committee, who is looking to create a multi-day signature tourism event in Louisa County. He also shared that the county is way ahead of the state and national average in terms of local participation and revenue.

522 Roundabout to be Drivable by Memorial Day

Scott Thornton, our local VDOT representative, shared and update with the Lake Anna Business Partnership to share, that we will be driving on the new roundabout by Memorial Day. Although it won’t be totally completed until the end of the year, it will at least be ready for the crowd this season. Read more about the Roundabout.

Boardwalk Hotel Coming by Labor Day

Joe Walsh joined the Cutalong team from Scottsdale, AZ and shared an update with us about about the Boardwalk Hotel project to open before Labor Day, including expanding the parking. Cutalong has also sold 16 single family lots called Sunset Point. He said about the Cutalong project: “I’ve never seen a project with so much potential as Cutalong.” He shared that they’ve started selling real estate, are building 70+ boat slips on Contrary cCreek, and that the golf club resort has 175 members and growing. Learn more about Boardwalk Hotel.

Lake Anna Planned Unit Coming by 2027

The Lake Anna Planned Unit Development master site plan should be done around May, shared Mike Grossman. They hope to have conceptuals to share with the community towards the end of the summer, and units should start to be sold in the next 9-12 months… with a grand opening in 2027. They are also hoping to build a hotel at the same time.

Lake Anna being Treated for Harmful Algae Blooms

Harry Looney from the Lake Anna Civic Association explained the 5-year effort for a safe and balanced phytoplankton biomass in the Lake Anna upper reservoir ecosystem, which is an effort to respond to the Harmful Aglae Blooms in those areas. This will be a 5-year effort that requires a mix of state and federal funding. Year 1 is funded by state appropriation of $1Mil. Read more about the HAB.

Fireworks Coming July 6th this Year

Greg Baker from Lake Anna Civic Association announced this year’s fireworks show to be on July 6th off of Dyke 2 as it normally is. He also reminded the public that 100% of the funds for the fireworks show are from our community, and donations are welcome. He also shared LACA’s focus of 911 signs, planting, soil kits, and sampling.

Bigger and Better Bass for Fishing

John Odenkirk, who samples the fish in the lake, noted that this year was the “best batch sample I’ve ever seen…”, with 3 of 4 years on record of large amount of bass by quality and quantity.

Fire and Rescue “Out There” Every Weekend

Chief Mike Grubbs, Spotsylvania County Fire and Rescue and president of Lake Anna Rescue Group, made people aware that that there are emergency vessels out on the water depending on the weekend and demand. “We aren’t always extremely visible, but we are there.” He also explained that staffing is at its maximum for Spotsylvania county, which is controlled by the current years budget. He encouraged everyone to wear PFDs and not to drink and drive. Last year there was one fatality as well as some serious injuries resulting in disabilities as well as a few minor injuries. Learn more about Safe Boating.

Louisa County Sheriff Accredited in Top 1% of all Agencies

Sheriff Donnie Lowe shared that the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office going through accreditation and should receive their accreditation in June. He was also excited to share a count of upcoming events they have this year, including Law Enforcement Adventure Program coming this Summer for 6th-8th graders, as well as the Citizens Law Enforcement Academy. The Sheriff’s office is currently hiring. “We do plan on staffing both sides of the lake as much as possible,” he said.

Lake Anna State Park Reviews Master Plan

Dan Quesenberry explained the review of the Lake Anna State Park Master Plan. The Spotsylvania County meeting has been completed, but the Louisa County is currently surveying the region to gather information on what the community and counties want to see over the next 10 years at Lake Anna. There is a meeting coming in Louisa County in the next few months. “We’ve always had a master plan which is an important tool for solving the issues in capacity…”

North Anna Power Station to Renew License with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Sarah Marshall of Dominion Energy shared that North Anna Power station is requesting a license renewal from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to run units 1 and 2 for a total of up to 80 years, right now they are allowed to run them for a total of 60 years.

Jen Bailey

Hi! I’m Jennifer Bailey and I partner with entrepreneurs who have massive ideas that could change the world. Most marketing is meaningless. Filled with empty promises, its only job is to bring in new traffic, new leads, and new customers. But I’ve drawn a line in the sand, and I’ve learned that marketing can do so much more than reach business goals and build profit. My methods give businesses the fire and soul they need to reach the right people, set the groundwork for sustainable relationships, and offer true value to the people on both the giving and receiving ends of marketing.

Read more about me here