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About Lake of
the Woods
Lake of the Woods is a private, planned residential
community located in the northeastern tip of Orange
County, Virginia. The community encompasses 2,600 acres,
4260 individual lots, and includes 3 lakes -- a 500-acre
lake for boating, fishing, and water/beach related activities,
a 26-acre lake primarily for fishing and non-powered
boating, and a small front entrance pond which acts
as a sediment retention basin and provides an excellent
spot for the annual children's fishing tournament. Lake
of the Woods is located 15 miles west of Fredericksburg,
VA, 18 miles east of Culpeper, VA, and 25 miles northeast
of the county seat of Orange.
Lake of the Woods is surrounded by early
Colonial, Revolutionary and Civil War period sites
made famous by some of America's greatest battles and
military personalities. On this ground was the home
of Colonial Governor Alexander Spotswood (1710-1722),
the first governor to occupy the Governor's Palace
in Williamsburg. The site of George Washington's boyhood
home is located in nearby Fredericksburg where as a
young man, he was engaged to survey the extensive land
holdings of Governor Spotswood.
Orange County's first settlement, the
frontier community of Germanna, was founded in 1714
on the banks of the Rapidan River, just three miles
from Lake of the Woods. Civil War history also abounds
in the area. Here is the scene of the Wilderness Campaign
in which the armies of Generals Lee and Grant fought
one of their bloodiest battles. In one battle alone
almost 27,000 men were lost. Part of the Wilderness
National Park abuts Lake of the Woods.
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Facilities
 In
1967, in this beautiful and historic setting the
U.S. Wildlife Clubs, Inc. a subsidiary of U.S. Land,
planned Lake of the Woods by purchasing 17 adjoining
farms totaling 2,600 acres of mostly wooded land.
In the early stages of planning (the feasibility
study dates to 1966) the developers envisioned it
as a recreational community. To reinforce this concept,
an array of facilities were provided to meet a variety
of recreational interests.
In addition to the three man-made lakes, they provided
a clubhouse, marina (the Association has two marinas),
two swimming pools, and an 18-hole PGA golf course
with pro shop and snack bar, four parks with playgrounds,
comfort stations, and picnic facilities, eight public
beaches, one campground, four tennis courts (currently
there are six courts with four lighted for evening
play), a soccer/baseball field (currently there
are two regulation soccer fields and a lighted baseball/softball
field) and a riding/boarding stable.
The community has approximately 41 miles of hard
surface roadways. In addition to the various sport
groups, such as the swim team, ski club, sailing
club, fishing club, and others, there are over 40
other clubs and organizations that use the facilities
of the Lake for their meetings and events.
The Development of Infrastructure
in Lake of the Woods
In April, 1967, with only a few homes actually
built, an Association was formed with all lot owners
automatically being members. The Association was governed
by a Board of Directors composed of officers of the
developing company. Later, lot owners were added to
membership on the Board but their representation was
essentially token in nature and control of the community's
affairs remained firmly in the hands of the developer.
Ownership of the community changed through
purchase of the equity of the original developers and
in 1972, the owner of record - Boise Cascade Home and
Land Corporation - decided to sell its assets. At this
point the Property Owners (approximately 3,850 owning
4,270 residential lots) purchased certain vehicles,
maintenance machinery and the community center furnishings
for $212,500. The other remaining assets (excluding
the 4,270 lots owned by individual members) were transferred
to the Property Owners Association by a Deed of Gift
dated November 30, 1972. Thus the Lake of the Woods
Association, Inc., as we know it today, came into being.
Lake of the Woods Association, Inc.
is chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia and
is a not-for-profit, non-stock corporation. Its
membership includes all owners of property within
the residential development. It is governed by a
Board of Directors of seven persons elected by the
membership to serve for staggered three-year terms.
Governing authority given the Board rests with the
recorded Declaration of Restrictive Covenants, Regulations,
and Bylaws as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation.
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Board of Directors
Governing of the Association is coordinated
through the Board of Directors and the Office of
the General Manager. The Board is elected annually
by property owners. The board consists of seven
Directors elected for staggered three-year terms
and serves without compensation. Their terms expire
on Labor Day of each year, thus rotating one-third
of the board membership each year. In one of the
years, the terms of three Directors expires. No
Directors can be elected to serve more than two
consecutive full terms without a lapse of at least
one year.
Only members of the Lake of the Woods
Association in good standing are qualified to serve
on the Board. In addition, they cannot be involved
in any business that constitutes a conflict of interest
with the Association, nor can they have been convicted
of a felony. A Nominating Committee is established
by the Board of Directors which has the duty of preparing
the list of nominees for election to the position of
Director.
The Board also establishes an Elections
Committee to prepare and distribute the ballots and
proxies, conduct the election, and, after certification
by the Association Secretary that the voters submitting
ballots or proxies were eligible to vote, tallies the
valid votes.
More information about the Board
of Directors is available in an archived article
from one of the monthly newsletters.
Lake of the Woods operates with a paid staff
headed by the General Manager, and a system of advisory
committees composed exclusively of unpaid volunteer
members of the Association. More than 100 members are
so engaged and many serve on more than one committee.
For more information on the committees please check
that section of the web site.
All amenities, or cost
centers, are managed by a Cost Center Manager who
reports directly to the Office of the General Manager.
The Cost Centers are: Golf, Golf Maintenance, Equestrian
Center, Maintenance, Administration, Clubhouse,
Pools and Lakes.
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Advisory
Committees
There are several advisory committees.
The chairperson of each committee along with committee
charters are provided on the committees
page.
Security services are provided under contract
by Dodson Security Services, Inc. The contract is
reviewed every three years. The security force is
responsible for the protection of LOWA assets and
the enforcement of Code of Virginia statutes related
to operation of motor vehicles on our roads. They
also control entrance into the Lake with one full
time manned gate and one unmanned back gate (located
on Rt. 601). Their primary responsibility is the
protection of LOWA assets. They are considered to
be "special police officers" and are recognized
by Orange County as "conservators of the peace".
The Orange County Sheriff's Office,
in conjunction with the Virginia State Police, are
called, as needed for the investigation of criminal
offenses occurring within LOW.
Post Office
and Mail Delivery
The Locust Grove, Virginia, Post Office services
the Lake. Residents are assigned mailboxes at
locations in LOW by the Post Office. Each mailbox
has an identifying number on the outside of the
box. This number is not part of the address.
Multiple lot owners can receive mailbox keys for
each lot if desired, but the Administration office
needs to know which lot will be used as the primary
mailing address. The owner of each lot has been
assigned a mailbox and given a key.
The location "Lake of the Woods" may be used
as an alternative to "Locust Grove" on all mail.
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The collection of trash and debris is
the task of Orange County which provides a trash
compactor and recycling bins in the maintenance
area on Shoosmith Road. More information on the
hours of operation and recycling is available on
the "Trash and Recycling"
page under "Administration".
The L.O.W. Fire and Rescue Company is
currently located adjacent to the Administration's
Holcomb Building on Lakeview Parkway. The department
is manned by volunteers from the community and the
area. A county-wide 911 system is operational.
Our volunteer force is supported by
an annual fund drive and the July 4th gala, Orange
County contribution, and the Lake of the Woods Association
donation. The Company is currently building a more
expansive facility in order to keep pace with residential
and commercial development in the area.
County Government
Lake of the Woods is in the 5th District of Orange
County. Refer to the "Government"
page for more details about government representatives
and contact information.
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Electrical service is provided by Rappahannock
Electric Cooperative (REC) (898-8500)
The lines within LOW are owned and maintained
by REC. The feeder lines serving the main power
distribution stations are owned and maintained
by V.E.P.C.O.
Water and Sewer Services
are provided by the Rapidan Service Authority in
Locust Grove. (972-2133). Office hours are Monday
through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm.
Cable Television services
are provided by Comcast in Fredericksburg. In 1998
the cable franchise completed a massive upgrade
and has provided direct fiber optic main feeder
lines from Fredericksburg to LOW. Private antennas
are permitted, and permits for those and individual
satellite disks should be made through LOWA's Environmental
Control Committee. (972-2211).
Telephone services
for the community are provided by Verizon. (800-483-1000).
Miss Utility - (Always
call before you dig - l-800-552-7001)
Emergency Snow
and Ice removal
The LOWA Maintenance Department clears
roads of snow and ice based on priority. The main
entrance, Lakeview Parkway, and Fire and Rescue
are the primary locations. All roads, mail stations,
walkways, parking areas, dump areas, etc. are cleared
as time, manpower and weather conditions permit.
Normal cleanup time, after the snow stops falling,
is approximately 16 hours for all areas. Orange
County roads are maintained and managed by the Virginia
Department of Transportation.
Schools
Locust Grove Elementary and Locust Grove
Middle Schools are located approximately five miles
south on Route 20. Orange County High School is
located in the town of Orange. The Germanna Community
College Locust Grove campus is three miles west
on Route 3. The University of Mary Washington is
located in Fredericksburg.
Directions
Lake of the Woods is in Orange County, Virginia,
on Route 3, between Fredericksburg to the east
and Culpeper to the west. It is about 16 miles
from each city. It is also equidistant (about
60 miles) from Washington, DC to the north and
Richmond to the south. On maps, it is at Wilderness,
near the intersection of Routes 3 and 20.
Property
Of the 4260 lots, 727 are on the main lake. Over
3500 homes have been built and more are under
construction. Building plans and specifications
are governed by LOWA's Restrictive Covenants.
For sale or rent signs are barred, although wooden
stakes giving phone numbers may be displayed.
Anyone interested in visiting property
for sale at LOW be must accompanied by a licensed
real estate agent or be a guest of a tenant or
property owner. Members of the Board
and employees of the Administration office will
not discuss property purchases with prospective
buyers; such discussions must take place between
the buyer and a real estate agent. Please visit
the "Property" page
for information about real estate agents in the
area. Details about Disclosure Packets are also
included on that page.
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