A groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 11 on a project that would renovate the existing Ashlawn Clubhouse, adding new meeting rooms and expanding the dining area, and build the new 9,240-sq. ft. Bunker Recreational Facility, featuring a free-standing 5,500-sq. ft. golf cart barn, a 600-sq. ft. pavilion, meeting and event rooms, a full commercial kitchen and pub, and lawn area for outdoor events.

Three years after the Lake Monticello (Va.) Owners Association agreed to move forward on a major renovation project, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 11, the Charlottesville, Va., Daily Progress reported.

Members agreed in June to renovate the Ashlawn Clubhouse and build a new recreational facility over the community’s existing golf pro shop. The project, which includes funds to furnish the facilities, renovate the Ashlawn basketball court and complete a five-year playground upgrade plan, is expected to cost $7.1 million. To help foot the bill, members will have to pay $95 in addition to their current annual dues, starting in 2016, the Daily Progress reported.

The new 9,240-sq. ft. Bunker Recreational Facility will include a new free-standing 5,500-sq. ft. golf cart barn and an open-air, 600-sq. ft. pavilion. The existing golf cart barn and pro shop will be demolished during construction, but will then be a feature in the new recreational facility. Other features of the facility will include added meeting and event rooms, a full commercial kitchen and pub, a pavilion and lawn area for outdoor events and a patio off the back of the building, the Daily Progress reported.

The Ashlawn Clubhouse, a 15,000-sq. ft., two-story building originally constructed in the 1970s, will be renovated on both floors to include new meeting rooms with dividers to facilitate meeting space. There also will be an expanded dining area for the Ashlawn Grille, equipment upgrades in the kitchen, consolidation of administrative offices and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant upgrades throughout the clubhouse, the Daily Progress reported.

According to Catherine Neelley, general manager of the association, the renovation of the clubhouse is expected to be complete by September 2016. The new Bunker Recreation Center will be done by January 2017, the Daily Progress reported.

“This is our first major replacement and renovation project since the 1970s,” said Judy Fish, association communications manager. “We’ve had a lot of community support for this and we’re finally moving forward.”

To pay for the project, the association will use existing funds and $3.8 million from its own Emergency Reserve Account. Another $2 million will be borrowed from the reserve account, which will then be replaced with the revenues generated over the next 15 years by the increased member fees, the Daily Progress reported.

“The LMOA Board of Directors was methodical in evaluating the condition of our current facilities and conducting member surveys and town hall meetings to ensure that the building designs meet the needs of our community,” said Neelley. “Needless to say, the groundbreaking has been anxiously anticipated,” she said.