This week in county government; Supes to consider partial repeal of Lake Anna Shoreline Ordinance; Dominion to deliver State of the Station address; News roundup
Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.
This week in county government: public meetings, March 4 through March 9
For the latest information on county meetings including public meetings of boards, commissions, authorities, work groups, and internal county committees, click here. (Note: Louisa County occasionally schedules internal committee/work group meetings after publication time. Check the county’s website for the most updated information).
Monday, March 4
Louisa County Board of Supervisors, budget work session, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 4 pm. (agenda, livestream)
Louisa County Board of Supervisors, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 6 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)
Louisa County School Board, Central Office Administration Building, 953 Davis Highway, Mineral, 7 pm. (agenda, livestream)
Other important dates:
Tuesday, March 5
Super Tuesday, presidential primaries, polling locations across Louisa County, 6 am to 7 pm.
Louisa County voters will have a chance to weigh in on who gets the Republican and Democratic nominations for president as Virginia is one of 15 states holding nominating contests on Super Tuesday. Polling locations across Louisa County will be open from 6 am to 7 pm. Click here for sample ballots.
Questions about voting? Call the Louisa County Registrar at 540-967-3427 or visit the Virginia Department of Elections website.
Additional information about Louisa County’s upcoming public meetings is available here.
Interested in taking your talents to one of the county’s numerous boards and commissions? Find out more here including which boards have vacancies and how to apply.
Supes to consider partial repeal of Lake Anna Shoreline Ordinance; Dominion to deliver State of the Station address
Dominion Energy, its North Anna Power Station and 13,000-acre cooling reservoir, Lake Anna, will take center stage at Monday’s Louisa County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Dominion officials will deliver their annual State of the Station address, updating the board on the nuclear generation facility’s performance and operations over the last year, among other matters.
Supervisors will also hold a public hearing and consider a partial repeal of the Lake Anna Shoreline Ordinance, a section of county code that sets standards for overwater structures on the Dominion-owned waterway.
Beyond Dominion-related matters, the board will consider approving a financing lease agreement with the Virginia Resources Authority, a step toward issuing more than $20 million in debt to pay for wet utility infrastructure for the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park and two turf fields behind Louisa County Middle School.
Prior to its regular meeting, the board will convene at 4 pm for its third work session of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget cycle. Supervisors spent much of their first two work sessions discussing funding for outside agencies. They’re expected to dig into other aspects of the operating budget and Capital Improvement Plan Monday afternoon.
Supervisors to hold public hearing, consider partial repeal of Lake Anna Shoreline Ordinance
Homeowners and developers planning to build overwater structures on Lake Anna could face one less hurdle pending a decision by the Louisa County Board of Supervisors on Monday night.
Supervisors will hold a public hearing and consider a partial repeal of the Lake Anna Shoreline Ordinance, a section of county code that lays out development and design standards for overwater structures like docks, boathouses and boardwalks.
The ordinance overlaps with Dominion Energy’s development guidelines. Dominion owns the lake and its shoreline but allows adjoining property owners to construct overwater structures via individual use agreements. The 13,000-acre waterway serves as a cooling reservoir for the North Anna Power Station.
Louisa County’s professional planning staff has recommended that supervisors repeal two components of the ordinance, which address “Safe navigation” and “Neighbor policies,” arguing that they mostly duplicate Dominion’s regulations.
Staff’s recommendation would leave intact a third section related to erosion and sediment control, which isn’t covered in Dominion’s guidelines. A fourth section addressing dredging would refer to Dominion’s rules.
A provision that mandates the use of dark-sky compliant lighting on overwater structures would be moved to another section of county code.
Staff has said that the overlapping rules cause confusion and eat up staff time even though the company, not the county, ultimately controls what’s built on the lake.
Both sets of rules lay out standards for the orientation of overwater structures including how far they can extend onto the lake and how large and tall they can be, among other regulations. Of the three localities home to Lake Anna shoreline—Spotsylvania, Louisa and Orange—only Louisa has a shoreline ordinance regulating overwater structures.
During a work session in mid-January, Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon told the Planning Commission that county staff recently met with Dominion and the company made clear that it controls what’s built on the lake. Coon said it’s in the best interest of the county to get out of the way and leave Dominion and property owners to come to their own agreements.
“Dominion made it abundantly clear the agreement to build on Dominion easement is between Dominion and the property owner. They are not going to worry about our rules and standards…Because of that statement and that stance that they’ve taken, this is an attempt to try and remove the extra regulation that (people) need to jump through to get an approval to build on Dominion property,” Coon said.
If the regulations are repealed, property owners would still need to obtain a building permit from the county after getting Dominion’s approval, but staff wouldn’t perform a duplicative review, Coon said.
When the Board of Supervisors initially discussed removing parts of the ordinance in December, Board Chair and Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, who represents the upper end of the lake, signaled that he backed staff’s recommendation.
Adams noted that, as the lake’s shoreline becomes more crowded, it’s difficult to determine property owners’ riparian rights, namely where they’re authorized to build overwater structures. He said it’s a waste of staff’s time to make that determination when the county doesn’t have the final say.
“The spirit behind the shoreline ordinance 18 years ago was probably needed. That’s when the lake was kind of the wild, wild west. You start extending property lines over the back of a cove and it’s like a hundred people playing laser tag. It makes no sense to me whatsoever,” Adams said, adding, “I think that we’re duplicating effort.”
But the recommendation to remove parts of the ordinance has sparked concern from some county officials who’ve wondered if it’s prudent for the county to cede it’s say to a large corporation that isn’t accountable to the public and could change its rules.
At several public meetings, Mountain Road District Supervisor Tommy Barlow said that while he doesn’t oppose axing the county’s rules, officials should be aware of why they were adopted and the potential consequences of not having them.
According to Barlow, the shoreline ordinance, adopted in 2005, was put in place after a developer proposed a 15-acre floating community near the Route 208 bridge. Barlow said that the developer insisted that only Dominion had the right to decide if the community was built. Though plans for the development were eventually abandoned, Barlow said it prompted the county to set its own rules.
“I just think we need to be cognizant of what could happen without the ordinance and really need to know how (Dominion) is going to enforce their (rules). They own the lake, but the lake is in Louisa County,” Barlow said.
During two work sessions, several members of the Planning Commission also expressed concerns.
Commission Chair and Mineral District Planner John Disosway asked staff for a side-by-side comparison of Dominion’s regulations and the sections of county code proposed for removal so he could better understand “what the county is giving up.” (side-by-side comparison)
A comparison of the ordinance and Dominion’s rules highlights that the county would rid its code of a range of standards related to common areas in lakeside subdivisions and lakefront commercial areas, which aren’t included in Dominion’s rules. While other components of the ordinance related to the size and placement of overwater structures would also be removed, Community Development Director Josh Gillespie said that Dominion’s guidelines address many of those issues. As he put it, the ordinance and Dominion’s rules “do similar things differently.”
After reviewing the comparison, Disosway said that while there’s a fair amount in the county’s regulations that Dominion’s guidelines don’t “have anything to say about,” some of those requirements “don’t seem to be significant.”
The Planning Commission voted 5-2 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors move forward with the repeal. But Cuckoo District Commissioner George Goodwin, whose district includes most of the lake below the Route 208 bridge, asked Gillespie to closely monitor the impact of the changes, assuming they’re approved by the board.
“Can you tell us that you will keep your eye on this, at least for the near future, so, if we do find out we’ve thrown out a baby or two with the bathwater, then we can get back on it?” Goodwin asked.
Gillespie said he would.
Green Springs District Commissioner Jim Dickerson and Louisa District Commissioner Matt Kersey were the only members to vote against the repeal.
Dominion to deliver State of the Station address
Representatives from Dominion Energy will deliver their annual State of the Station address, updating the board on the performance and operation of the North Anna Power Station (NAPS), among other NAPS-related matters. The address will be accompanied by a public hearing.
The yearly address and public hearing are required under a 1984 settlement agreement between Dominion’s predecessor, Virginia Electric and Power Company, and Louisa County. The agreement stipulates that the company will participate in an annual public meeting called by the county and address the facility’s general operations and economic impact as well as the storage of high and low-level nuclear waste and health and environmental issues.
Performance: According to an annual report included in the meeting materials, North Anna’s twin 900 MW Westinghouse reactors, dubbed Units 1 and 2, operated with minimal interruption in 2023, running at 95.5 percent capacity. Unit 1 experienced a two-day maintenance outage to address a failed control valve while Unit 2 was shuttered for 34 days for refueling and five days to repair a line leak in a coolant pump. Throughout the year, both units met the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) performance objectives.
Emergency preparedness: Last year brought a significant change to how North Anna plans to alert the community in the event of a general emergency.
For more than four decades, 68 sirens, scattered within a 10-mile radius of the facility, stood ready to notify residents and passersby of a serious problem at the plant.
The aging sirens were decommissioned in February 2023, per the report, and replaced with more modern technology: the Integrated Public Address and Warning System (IPAWS). The new system would notify residents and visitors of an emergency via two primary pathways: wireless emergency alerts (WEA) sent directly to mobile devices within 10 miles of the facility and the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which notifies media outlets.
Dominion notes on its website that the notification pathways are identical in nature to Amber and Severe Weather Alerts. Unlike the sirens, which only produce sound, the alerts would provide real-time information and instructions in the event of an emergency.
License renewal and ‘Keeping the nuclear option open:’ Dominion is currently applying for a Subsequent License Renewal (SLR) for both reactors, which would allow them to operate through 2058 and 2060 respectively, 80 years since each went into service.
The application has sparked pushback from some environmental groups including the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club and Beyond Nuclear. The groups have raised concerns about the aging plant’s ability to handle another earthquake. North Anna sustained minor damage from a magnitude 5.8 quake that rattled Central Virginia in 2011. Its epicenter was just 11 miles from the plant.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has held three public meetings to provide information and hear from the public on the license renewal including an in-person meeting in February and a virtual meeting in January focused specifically on a review of a draft Environmental Impact Statement.
The Sierra Club and Beyond Nuclear have argued that the NRC shouldn’t hold any public hearings on the license renewal until the Environmental Impact Statement is complete.
Per the report, Dominion expects to spend about $4 billion on upgrades at North Anna and its Surry Nuclear Power Station as part of the facilities’ relicensing. It anticipates that the NRC will issue a final ruling on North Anna’s application this summer.
Aside from North Anna 1 and 2, Dominion holds a Combined Operating License (COL) for a yet-to-be constructed 1500 MW GE-Hitachi reactor. While the company has no concrete plans to build a third unit, the report notes that it’s “keeping the nuclear option open.”
“Dominion Energy Virginia believes that a diverse generation portfolio is essential to meeting the future needs of our customers, and that nuclear energy is the only large-scale baseload, carbon-free option which also provides fuel diversity. Although the company has not yet decided to build the new unit, having the COL means that it can build and operate the unit at a time that makes sense to move forward,” the report states.
Though Dominion holds a federal license to build the reactor, moving forward with the costly infrastructure would also require approval from Virginia’s State Corporation Commission, which regulates the monopoly utility.
Perhaps a more likely path to expanding nuclear energy generation at North Anna lies with the development of small modular reactors (SMR). A scaled-down version of traditional reactors, SMRs are manufactured in factories, decreasing construction time, and designed to produce about a third of the power of their larger counterparts. According to Dominion, the reactors could potentially be built at existing nuclear power plants and other industrial sites, providing a dispatchable energy source that improves grid resilience and reliability.
Though there aren’t any SMRs currently in commercial operation, Governor Glenn Youngkin has prioritized their development, arguing that the reactors could play a key role in the state’s clean energy future. In his 2022 Energy Plan, Youngkin called for the deployment of an SMR in southwest Virginia in the next 10 years.
In its report, Dominion says that it’s continuing “to investigate the possibilities of the technology” and estimates that the first SMR could potentially be in service by the end of 2033.
“Although this technology has not yet been deployed at scale, SMR design activities and regulatory licensing are accelerating both domestically and abroad. Dominion Energy continues to evaluate the feasibility, operating parameters, and costs of SMRs. The deployment of SMRs will be based on updated capital, operating and maintenance costs, continued progress of licensing timelines, and new policy initiatives or legislative changes,” the report says.
Storage of nuclear waste: Dominion’s report also details the federal government’s as-yet unsuccessful effort to find a permanent repository for highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel, which is currently stored on site at the nation’s 54 nuclear power plants. While it’s the Department of Energy’s responsibility to develop a long-term storage facility, the report notes that the federal government “remains undecided on how it will proceed.”
As it awaits a permanent repository, North Anna deposits its spent fuel into underground dry casks, monitoring radiation levels around the casks and in groundwater. According to the report, radiation in the area is well below NRC limits and “the groundwater does not contain radioactive material above background levels.”
The company is allowed to store its spent fuel on site under a Conditional Use Permit issued by Louisa County. That permit is up for renewal in 2024, per the report.
Dominion ships low-level nuclear waste off site to facilities in Utah, Tennessee and Texas.
Economic impact: The report highlights North Anna’s substantial economic impact on Louisa County, noting that the plant employs 805 people full-time and 360 long-term contractors. About 1,000 additional workers visit the plant during periodic outages.
In 2023, Dominion paid more than $11 million in taxes to Louisa County on behalf of the plant, about 6.6 percent of the county’s total revenue. Since the facility’s inception, the company has paid $422 million into county coffers.
Read North Anna’s annual report here.
Supes preparing to issue more than $20 million in debt for water and sewer infrastructure, turf fields
Supervisors are preparing to issue more than $20 million in debt to pay for water and sewer infrastructure for the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park and two turf fields adjacent to Louisa County Middle School. Both projects are included in the Fiscal Year 2024 Capital Improvement Plan.
According to a resolution up for consideration on Monday night, the board intends to enter a Local Lease Acquisition Agreement and Financing Lease with the Virginia Resources Authority (VRA) to fund the projects. Under the agreement, VRA would issue bonds to finance the utility infrastructure and fields with the county repaying the money, no later than December 31, 2054, at a maximum 5.5 percent annual interest rate.
The county initially entered a lease agreement with VRA in 2016 to fund construction of a water treatment plant at Ferncliff, water lines, and related infrastructure, conveying to VRA a leasehold interest in county-owned real estate to secure the financing. The board intends to amend the original agreement to add the new projects.
The bulk of the new debt issuance—about $17 million—will pay for delivery of wet utility infrastructure to the Shannon Hill Business Park and the Shannon Hill Growth Area along Interstate 64 including a waterline and force main, elevated water storage tank, water booster station and two wastewater pump stations.
The county began developing the 700-acre industrial park in 2019 with hopes of attracting distribution centers, advanced manufacturing or other large-scale economic development projects that bulk up the tax base and create jobs.
Last year, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Business Ready Sites Program awarded the park an $11.59 million grant to help cover the cost of bringing public water and sewer to the site. The project is expected to cost more than $28 million.
The twin turf fields are projected to cost more than $3.5 million. The board agreed to build the fields last spring at the request of Parks and Recreation Director James Smith and Patrick Henry District Supervisor Fitzgerald Barnes. Smith told supervisors that many of the community’s youth sports teams lack adequate outdoor practice space. The fields will serve both the Parks and Rec Department and Louisa County Public Schools.
Board to hear presentations from Arts Center, Historical Society
Supervisors will hear presentations from two prominent not-for-profit community organizations: the Louisa Arts Center and the Louisa County Historical Society. Both organizations received financial support from the county in FY24 and have asked for continued support during the current budget cycle.
The Arts Center requested $80,000 for the coming fiscal year, $20,000 more than it received last year. In a written request, the center says it would use the money for staffing, arts programs, community outreach and facility maintenance.
At a February 5 budget work session, the board tentatively voted to flat fund the group, giving it the same amount of money it received last year.
The Louisa County Historical Society received $42,500 in county funds for the current fiscal year and asked the board to match that support in FY25. The society said that it needs the money to staff and maintain the Sargeant Museum of Louisa County History, which houses historical documents and artifacts, offers exhibits and programming that spotlight local history, assists with research requests and serves as the county’s official welcome center.
Supervisors cast a preliminary vote in early February to slash support for the group by nearly 90 percent, allotting just $5,000. That vote came after the board’s finance committee, which includes Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams and Jackson District Supervisor Toni Williams, recommended defunding the group. Adams told Engage Louisa that he suggested pulling taxpayer support because the county has higher funding priorities.
“Our focus right now is economic development, public education and public safety. As you know, that eats up about 76 percent of the budget,” Adams said. “Everybody that comes to the table has great programs. It’s never a question of that. It’s what can we afford to do and where can we afford to do it. My recommendation is to take this money and focus it elsewhere.”
Read more about the board’s tentative decision to cut the society’s funding in last week's edition of Engage Louisa.
News Roundup
Engage Louisa focuses on Louisa County government. But we recognize that we can’t cover everything and there’s plenty of other news in our neck of the woods. With that in mind, we occasionally include a roundup of links to the work of other journalists covering noteworthy events and issues that impact our community.
Sens. Kaine and Warner visit Louisa County: United States Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine each visited Louisa County in late February.
Warner was the keynote speaker at an event hosted by Firefly Fiber Broadband and S&N Communications at Fifty-Third Winery on February 23. The event celebrated the progress of Firefly’s effort to bring universal high-speed internet access to the county by 2025. S&N Communications is a contractor working on the project. Read the story in Lake Anna Life.
Kaine headlined an event hosted by the Louisa Democrats at Callie Opie’s Orchard on Feb 25. He’s seeking his third term in the Senate this November.
Two members of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors attended the event and spoke with Kaine about acquiring federal support to address Harmful Algal Blooms at Lake Anna. Read the story in Lake Anna Life.
Good booted from Trump store grand opening: Fifth District Congressman Bob Good (R-Campbell) was kicked out of the grand opening of a Trump store in Farmville on Feb. 17, an event that featured his primary opponent, state Senator John McGuire (R-Goochland). After leaving the store, Good greeted shoppers on a public sidewalk. A Good staffer later called 911, citing concerns for the congressman’s safety. Markus Schmidt has the story in Cardinal News. Read the story.
Solar bill that could directly impact Louisa County carried over to 2025: Charlie Paullin reports for Virginia Mercury that a bill that would’ve barred localities from imposing certain restrictions on utility-scale solar development failed to clear a House of Delegates committee and will be carried over to the General Assembly’s 2025 session.
The bill, carried by Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) would’ve prohibited localities from limiting the total amount, density or size of solar or energy storage projects as long as the overall area covered by panels within the locality remained under 4% of its land. The bill could’ve directly impacted Louisa County, which limits large-scale solar generation to just three percent, or about 9,800 acres, of the county’s land, though only about a percent and half of its land has been approved for utility-scale solar facilities. Read the story.
Click here for contact information for the Louisa County Board of Supervisors.
Find agendas and minutes from previous Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings as well as archived recordings here.
Click here for contact information for the Louisa County School Board.
Click here for minutes and agendas for School Board meetings. Click here for archived video.
Click here to access past editions of Engage Louisa.