Ivy Lake Notice

Fellow Ivy Hill Neighborhood Residents: It is with much regret that we must inform the community that access to Ivy Lake is closed to all traffic indefinitely, effective immediately.

It was about this time last year that Runk & Pratt announced it was finalizing the purchase of Ivy Lake from Liberty University. It was with great excitement that the future of the lake was now certain and that Runk & Pratt intended to restore the family and neighborhood atmosphere to the lake, something that had been missing for years. An announcement was made to the community and to the greater Bedford County area that the lake was now private and that use of the lake was for Ivy Hill residents only — LU students and non-Ivy Hill residents would not be granted access. It took some adjustment by LU students (thank you to the university leadership for their help) and by Bedford County residents, but with the help of the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, we got through last summer without many issues.

Unfortunately, this spring has not started off as well. The number of trespassers has become overwhelming for us and for the sheriff’s department. There have been several tickets issued and too many visits by the sheriff’s deputies to count. But beyond the trespassers, some of which have been very disrespectful to our local law enforcement, the vandalism to the lake access area has been truly disappointing. Based on the recommendation by the sheriff’s office, Runk & Pratt has no other choice than to take this step to close access to all traffic effective immediately.

Several important points to note: 1). Ivy Lake is privately owned.

2). Anyone on the lake or on the land surrounding the lake access area (which includes the dam), without permission, is trespassing.

3). Residents living in an Ivy Hill neighborhood had been given a “permission” to use the lake, according to the posted rules. It did not give residents of Ivy Hill permission to allow friends or non-resident family members to use the lake without a resident being with them. (Note: When enforcement checks by sheriff’s deputies or Runk & Pratt employees have taken place, they were looking for an Ivy Hill resident in the group with proof of address in their immediate possession. Otherwise, the individuals on the lake or on the lake access land were considered there without permission and therefore trespassing.)

4). Until further notice, unless you have property adjacent to the lake, all fishing, boating, swimming, or other water activities are prohibited.

It is our hope to remove these restrictions as soon as possible, but we will need the help of the community. We need your support in compliance while processes can be worked out to ensure that lake access is restricted to only its intended guests.

Thank you, Management