Lake Holiday, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Lake Holiday is a private gated community
of about 1200 homes and 2700 building lots situated around a 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) man-made lake from which the community takes its name. It is located north of Winchester
in Frederick County
, Virginia
, United States
. Lake Holiday is approximately three miles southwest of the boundary with the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
. The postal address
is Cross Junction
but Lake Holiday and the surrounding community lies within unincorporated land
in Frederick County. The Census Bureau defines Lake Holiday as a census-designated place
(CDP) with a population of 1,905 as of 2010. Construction on the dam and building lot began in the late 1960s and the dam was finished in 1972. It took approximately 12 years for the lake to fill to capacity and flow over the spill way. The community is looking at a 10 million dollar plus project to refurbish the dam which does not meet current safety guidelines established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA and by the Commonwealth of Virginia VDEMA since the September 11 attacks.
Once the new dam and spill way project has been completed it will once again take several years, depending on weather patterns, to refill the lake once it is drained in Sept. 2011.
Lake Holiday has a private marina available for use by members for a yearly fee of approximately $500.00(no fuel pump
), and tennis and basketball courts which are located near the club house. The lake flows into Isaac's Creek. When the Lake was first built there were three (03) man made beaches, There is only one usable beach now. The other two are either not accessible or in such disrepair they aren't safe or suitable for kids or swimming. the sand has washed away from beach two and beach three is closed due to a gate and the roads being washed out after years of neglect. There is pending several million dollar law suit for a drowning in 2009 due to this now there are no life guards at beach one, since other Virginia lake communities don't provide lifeguards, Lake Holiday has been advised not to provide them either. Swim at your own risk is now in place. If LH-HOA looses this lawsuit it will bankrupt the HOA and dissolve the hoa and Lake Holiday will be an open community. The main creeks feeding the lake are Isaac's Creek and Miller's Run along with many small unnamed creeks that flow into the lake.
Lake Holiday has hired an outside private armed security patrol. There are no law enforcement or fire/EMS facilities at Lake Holiday, they rely on outside sources for these from Frederick County, Virginia
. Typical Volunteer response time is 15–20 minutes or longer after dispatch to get on scene. There is a movement to start a volunteer fire and rescue station at lake holiday independent of the local system which is located to far away to provide ample and timely service. There has been numerous drownings which have resulted in deaths at Lake Holiday and EMS calls which have proved less than favorable to the patients due to the long response times involved with get into the community, which has been hampered by the installments of speed bumps.
Fires at Lake Holiday and other emergencies result in large scale property loss.
Recently Lake Holiday has been in the news due to Virginia politics involving Senator Jill Vogel who has been trying to influence the state laws pertaining to Homeowners Associations, particularly Lake Holiday.
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
of about 1200 homes and 2700 building lots situated around a 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) man-made lake from which the community takes its name. It is located north of Winchester
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
in Frederick County
Frederick County, Virginia
Frederick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is included in the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. For ten years it was the home of George Washington. As of 2010, the population was...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Lake Holiday is approximately three miles southwest of the boundary with the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is a narrow stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia, United States. The Eastern Panhandle Board of Realtors and other local civic organizations consider only the three Easternmost counties, Jefferson, Berkeley and...
. The postal address
Address (geography)
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used for describing the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using political boundaries and street names as references, along with other identifiers such as house or...
is Cross Junction
Cross Junction, Virginia
Cross Junction is an unincorporated community in northern Frederick County, Virginia, USA. Cross Junction is located on the North Frederick Pike at its intersection with Collinsville Road...
but Lake Holiday and the surrounding community lies within unincorporated land
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Frederick County. The Census Bureau defines Lake Holiday as a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) with a population of 1,905 as of 2010. Construction on the dam and building lot began in the late 1960s and the dam was finished in 1972. It took approximately 12 years for the lake to fill to capacity and flow over the spill way. The community is looking at a 10 million dollar plus project to refurbish the dam which does not meet current safety guidelines established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA and by the Commonwealth of Virginia VDEMA since the September 11 attacks.
Once the new dam and spill way project has been completed it will once again take several years, depending on weather patterns, to refill the lake once it is drained in Sept. 2011.
Lake Holiday has a private marina available for use by members for a yearly fee of approximately $500.00(no fuel pump
Fuel pump
A fuel pump is a frequently essential component on a car or other internal combustion engined device. Many engines do not require any fuel pump at all, requiring only gravity to feed fuel from the fuel tank through a line or hose to the engine...
), and tennis and basketball courts which are located near the club house. The lake flows into Isaac's Creek. When the Lake was first built there were three (03) man made beaches, There is only one usable beach now. The other two are either not accessible or in such disrepair they aren't safe or suitable for kids or swimming. the sand has washed away from beach two and beach three is closed due to a gate and the roads being washed out after years of neglect. There is pending several million dollar law suit for a drowning in 2009 due to this now there are no life guards at beach one, since other Virginia lake communities don't provide lifeguards, Lake Holiday has been advised not to provide them either. Swim at your own risk is now in place. If LH-HOA looses this lawsuit it will bankrupt the HOA and dissolve the hoa and Lake Holiday will be an open community. The main creeks feeding the lake are Isaac's Creek and Miller's Run along with many small unnamed creeks that flow into the lake.
Lake Holiday has hired an outside private armed security patrol. There are no law enforcement or fire/EMS facilities at Lake Holiday, they rely on outside sources for these from Frederick County, Virginia
Frederick County, Virginia
Frederick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is included in the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. For ten years it was the home of George Washington. As of 2010, the population was...
. Typical Volunteer response time is 15–20 minutes or longer after dispatch to get on scene. There is a movement to start a volunteer fire and rescue station at lake holiday independent of the local system which is located to far away to provide ample and timely service. There has been numerous drownings which have resulted in deaths at Lake Holiday and EMS calls which have proved less than favorable to the patients due to the long response times involved with get into the community, which has been hampered by the installments of speed bumps.
Fires at Lake Holiday and other emergencies result in large scale property loss.
Recently Lake Holiday has been in the news due to Virginia politics involving Senator Jill Vogel who has been trying to influence the state laws pertaining to Homeowners Associations, particularly Lake Holiday.