Louisa supervisors approve three tourism grants, set micro-purchase policy for small events

The Louisa County Board of Supervisors approved three tourism funding requests on April 28, authorizing $10,000 for an outdoor concert at the Louisa Arts Center, $4,999 for a Lake Anna jazz performance and $20,000 for a roof replacement at the Trevillian Station Battlefield foundation property.

County staff told the board the grants would come from transient occupancy tax revenue and were intended to increase overnight stays and visitor spending; staff recommended each award be contingent on a signed memorandum of understanding with deliverables such as marketing cooperation and visitor-origin data collection.

Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the Louisa Arts Center and Lake Anna Jazz allocations. The Trevillian Station Battlefield grant passed 6-1 after discussion about whether the county should invest $20,000 in repairs to a structure it does not own.

Supervisor McConnell (board member) said he was concerned that funding a privately owned roof could set a precedent and proposed limiting county contribution to $10,000 with the remainder raised by the foundation. Other supervisors cited the battlefield’s historical significance, its trail uses and the potential for living-history events and virtual-tour content to attract visitors.

Staff described expected deliverables for the Trevillian grant including inclusion in county tourism marketing, trail guides and support for a future virtual reality project, and recommended a memorandum of understanding tying the award to those items. The board also asked staff to craft a policy allowing administrative approval of tourism awards at or below the micro-purchase threshold ($4,999) and to bring that policy back at the next meeting.

The awards are to be administered from the county’s transient occupancy tax fund and are conditioned on the execution of memoranda of understanding and the marketing/deliverable commitments described by staff.