The  BCC building  predates the lake, which was created in the 1970s for the North Anna nuclear power plant. Lobby Stop takes its name from its visits to various “lobbies”in Spotsylvania County including assisted living facilities community centers, and more. Since 2009, Lobby Stop has replaced the Bookmobile in many county locations.

Gary Jackson has headed the project for the Belmont Ruritans, and Belmont Club of Women (BCOW) President  Pam Luttner is the liaison for her organization.

It’s a win-win  for all involved. Jackson said that  the  Ruritans  were approached in   August 2016  by  representatives   of Spotsylvania  County  and the  Livingston District School Board during a club dinner. They wanted to know if the center would be interested in being interconnected when the high-speed fiber optics cable was installed at the adjacent fire house. Free Wi-Fi? So what was the deal? That’s where the CRRL comes in CRRL had been providing a Bookmobile- type service at the BCC twice a month for many years.  The  expanded   Lobby Stop version  being proposed  by the  county, school board, and library would add much more to the rural area.

With free  Wi-Fi, the  library   services would now be available Mondays (except for holidays) from 4-7 p.m. at the BCC. The increased  hours would better suit students and members of the community who wish to use it in the afternoon and early evening. Books are still available for checkout, and the library now provides 15 Chromebook laptops during each visit, a wireless printer, and a  special computer-charging  cart. People can bring their own smart phones, tablets, or laptops to use the internet.

The BCC clubs decided to make the Wi-Fi available 24/7 rather than shut it off when the center is not in use so that travelers or others can connect  to the internet at any hour of the day from the parking lot.

Martha Hutzel, CRRL director, said that initially  both County  Administrator Mark Taylor and Livingston District School Board Member Kirk Twig had approached  the CRRL about offering Lobby Stop services to school libraries, but the idea quickly grew to adding community centers. The BCC was the most rural of the centers in the county, so it was the first to go online.

On the BCC’s side of things, Jackson – whose career was as an electrical engineer at a think tank that helped the “Air Force and other   agencies put   satellites   into space” –  is  no stranger  to  technology.

He is used to working with groups to get projects accomplished,  sometimes through “gracious pestering.” Jackson developed memos of understanding that documented the clubs’ relationship with the project and helped move things along. By March the internet was connected, and by April Lobby Stop was available.

The mission of the BCC clubs – both of which meet and hold events in the historic building – is that of service, and they raise money  every year for  scholarships  that primarily assist students in the tri-county area. From  supporting  volunteer  fire departments to area food pantries, the clubs also contribute  funds  and assistance  to community needs. The Belmont Community Center was formerly  the Belmont  School (built   in   1919),  which housed   seven grades. When the school closed, the BCC clubs purchased  the building and its three acres. One building was torn down, and the remaining one with its pine floor was remodeled with a kitchen and restrooms. It opened as a community center in 1967.