|
|
The
POA tried to meet with Tim Menton, SVP for Administration of The Villages
Regional Hospital (TVRH), and his new boss, Lee Huntley, CEO of the Central
Florida Health Alliance, the parent of the Leesburg Regional Medical Center (LRMC)
and TVRH. Both
Mr. Menton and Mr. Huntley refused to meet with members of the POA Hospital
Committee and rebuffed our attempts to discuss with them the hospital problems
and the information we gathered in the past month.
Mr.
Menton was especially critical of recent Bulletin articles and the POA and
insisted that we request his prior approval for any future hospital articles
published in the Bulletin. We
tried to explain our obligation of independence to our community to publish
important information about issues in The Villages, but Mr. Menton would not
listen. Mr.
Menton and Mr. Huntley asked that the POA send its information to them for
review. Mr. Menton was vague about
how this highly confidential information would be used, if at all.
We felt he would merely pigeon-hole the information in his offices and
we would end up with the same attitude of complacency that has allowed the
festering hospital problems to exist for these many years.
Thus, we could not comply with the request to forward the information
to them. We
asked to be included as community representatives in the Community Volunteer
Advisory Group that was mentioned in Mr. Huntley’s column ad that appeared
in the Daily Sun three times. We
think that an open discussion in the community, of the problems and solutions
for the hospital, is a good idea. Mr.
Menton specifically refused to allow any POA member in the advisory group.
We think this community advisory group may be stacked with hand-picked
hospital sympathizers rather than the independent community involvement group
that it should be. Faced
with this stonewalling response, we decided to take the matter to the federal
and state agencies responsible for certification and regulation of hospitals.
We
have presented our findings to The Joint Commission For Hospital
Accreditation, the federal regulatory agency in a suburb of In
each case, we presented a summary of our findings and asked that the agency
immediately initiate an investigation of TVRH to determine the facts and
whether patient care, health, and safety are meeting accepted standards of
care. Our
presentation to each agency included summaries that disguised the identity of
the patients involved. For a
thorough investigation, these agencies may have to verify information provided
to the POA by these patients. In
that event, the POA will contact the patients involved requesting permission
for a confidential follow-up by the agencies. We stated in previous Bulletins that we wanted to solve these hospital problems within our community. Unfortunately, the negative response of the hospital administration required us to involve the federal and state regulatory agencies. We regret we had to go beyond a community-wide solution, but the actions of TVRH left us no choice.
In
the previous issue of the POA Bulletin, we listed the preliminary results of a
tabulation of the many stories we have received via email and regular mail by
Villagers with experiences with the emergency room (ER) in TVRH.
We had a tabulation of 103 letters in that story.
We
continue to receive stories from residents and have received about 130 letters
thus far. A total of 125 were
tabulated as of press time for this issue.
The following is an update of the tabulation to incorporate the latest
letters and stories. Of
the 125 stories that addressed some aspect of care in the ER, 110 (88%) were
negative about the services received in the ER; 15 (12%) were positive. Of
the 110 negative cases, the medical professionals assisting the POA in this
tabulation judged that 31 cases (28%) were serious, meaning that there was a
deficiency in the quality of care provided in the ER by TVRH according to
accepted medical standards. Of
the 110 negative cases, a total of 73 cases identified the length of time
spent waiting for assistance, either initially from a triage nurse or to be
seen by a doctor. Of these 73
cases, a total of 53 (73%) identified a wait time of four hours or more to be
initially seen. Of
the 110 negative cases, 90 mentioned one or more specific reasons for their
negative rating. For these 90
patients, the percentage mentioning the following as among their complaints
were:
In
addition, we judged that at least four out of the 90 patients may have been
injured by care, or lack of care, given by hospital personnel. After
later reviewing their problems with their personal physicians, eleven patients
discovered that the ER doctors had mis-diagnosed their problem. Problems
in communicating with the physician, because the physician did not speak
understandable English, were reported in five cases. It
should be emphasized that the problems identified go beyond the issues of long
wait times. The more serious
issues relate to the quality of care that in some cases is below the accepted
standards of care that are expected from a certified medical institution. We
should further note that many of these stories submitted to us are anecdotal and
often lack essential details. We
believe that the regulatory agencies may want to follow up with some of the
cases to verify details. We will
contact, as needed, each person submitting a story or experience to us to
arrange for appropriate confidentiality. The POA Hospital Committee is comprised of two directors of the POA and three medical professionals with advanced medial degrees and extensive experience.
The
previous issue of the POA Bulletin mentioned a story written years ago that also
addressed some of the same hospital problems as we are seeing today.
We have now located that story in the February, 2004, issue of the POA
Bulletin. This article is available
on the POA website (www.poa4us.org) in the Archived Bulletin section.
The first few paragraphs of that story are: “There
is something drastically wrong with the There
are just too many stories of inattentive staff, long waits, ignored patients,
overcrowding, bureaucratic bungling, questionable triage, and generally
unsatisfactory service. Stories about malpractice lawsuits in the near future
would not be surprising. Yes,
there are also stories of good service, etc.
However, the bad stories seem to overwhelm the good stories. So,
what’s wrong? And, why can’t the hospital management company brought in to
run the operation fix the problems?” It
is sad, but the same story could be written today -- four years later.
What
has happened in the intervening four years?
Apparently not much to solve the problems because they are still here.
The
POA doesn’t want to discover four years from now that the same stories could
also be written again. We
think that TVRH and LRMC have a moral obligation to do whatever is necessary to
solve the current ER operating problems. If
they need more resources, they have to let us know and make the case.
If
they need better staff and training, they have to say so. If
they need to reorganize their facilities, they have to spell that out and do it. If
they have to better coordinate with other community healthcare resources, then
they have to make that happen. And,
they have to involve the community so that we understand the situation. And,
no more lame excuses, and no more finger-pointing elsewhere, and no more
obfuscation, and no more evasive language, and no more smoke screens from TVRH
or LRMC management. We need straight answers and an honest effort from the TVRH and LRMC management to address these problems now. People’s lives are hanging in the balance – we cannot accept another four years of complacency, excuses, and poor service.
The
next POA membership meeting will be on Tuesday, June 17, in the Please
note that we are back to the John
Rohan, Recreation Director and Asst. District Manager of The Villages, will
speak on the Recreation Program and Facilities in The Villages. Please join us for this important meeting and coffee and donuts afterward. And, the discussion and opportunity to meet fellow Villagers add up to a thought-provoking and interesting evening. Non-members of the POA are always welcome. In
investigating the written complaints about our hospital’s emergency room,
we’ve learned a lot about health care delivery systems – what we have and
what we should have. Based on the
information we have to date, we’d like to propose a few solutions. 1)
The Villages clearly needs more and better Urgent Care facilities.
We propose that some of these facilities be open and staffed 24 hours a
day with information given on how and when to access them. 2)
We propose that TVRH Emergency Room staff a minimum of two physicians during the
day and three physicians during especially busy days or nights.
Emergency room patients are being injured by inadequate staffing – this
needs to stop. 3)
All health care facilities serving Villages residents should have computer
facilities enabling them to “talk” to all other health care facilities.
Lab results, diagnostic tests, diagnosis and treatments can be sent to
the next health care provider. Much
time is now wasted by overworked ER staff having to re-interview patients and
re-run tests that already exist with another health care provider. 4) We recommend that The Villages Regional Hospital Emergency Room invest in one of a number of professional discharge planning software packages that are on the market today. Many emergency room patients with pain and trauma are not good at listening to discharge instructions – written instructions would be a good supplement. The
current recycling program is up and running throughout The Villages.
But, we have never received an accounting of how the money is being
used. For
example, at $1.47 per month, with an estimated 40,000 homes in The Villages
participating, the additional revenue for our trash collection service is
approximately $700,000 per year. Where
does this $700,000 go? We
know that the trash services incur additional expenses for the recycling
trucks that go around for an extra day a week to pick up the recycling bags.
The cost for these trucks, fuel, and crews appears to be the only extra
expense for the trash service. On
the other hand, dumping fees are probably less because we are talking about
less household trash tonnage because of the absence of the recyclables.
There is probably a savings here because less household garbage needs
to be dumped in the landfill. We
are sure that the trash service doesn’t have to pay somebody to take the
recyclables. So, what other
expenses are there? The
question is whether the additional expenses of the recycling truck, fuel, and
crew cost the entire $700,000 in additional annual revenues? We
bet it doesn’t. Somebody may be
pocketing a few bucks here. Now,
what about revenues? We
can’t believe that the trash service doesn’t receive some sort of payment
for the recyclable materials. In
The
Leesburg Daily Commercial recently published a story entitled: Profiting From
Papers: Lake County Learning How To Turn Trash into Treasure with Recycling
Program. The
article explains how Daryl
Smith, director of environmental services for "We
think the revenue will be good," said Smith. "You
save on disposal costs and make some money recycling. It's kind of a double
whammy." Even
here in The Villages, local churches recognize what they consider substantial
revenues from their newspaper recycling bins.
And, the Lions program for aluminum cans is active and healthy. So,
exactly what is the trash service here in The Villages recognizing from its
sale of our recyclables? We
bet the number is substantial. And,
the residents should be told who is making what in the program. Thus,
the annual figure of approximately $700,000 that we pay for the privilege of
recycling may or may not be needed. And,
the revenues from our recyclables could be substantial and the money may be
making somebody rich. Why
not return the profit to the residents in the form of lower monthly trash
bills? We
ask the developer, who developed this trash recycling program, to publish an
accounting for the program that will show revenues, expenses, and any related
profit, and also identify the recipients of the $700,000 and any revenues
received from the sale of the recyclable materials.
This information should cover at least estimated 2008 and forecast 2009. We also ask the VHA, which has a good talking relationship with the developer, to lend its weight to this request. This is a good community issue that can benefit with support and follow-up by the VHA. Cheers
- Thanks to VNN, The Villages TV station, for showing the Mark Morse VHA
presentation. That was a valuable
public service. In that same spirit,
we wish that VNN would broadcast the monthly meetings of the VCCDD and the SLCDD.
Cheers
- To all the residents who went to the Mark Morse presentation or took the time
to watch it on VNN. That was
impressive community involvement. Thanks
to the VHA and Mark Morse for the event. Cheers
- To Mark Morse for acknowledging in his VHA presentation that he does read the
POA Bulletin. Mark, thanks for
telling us that you are a reader. Please
let us know if you would like an autographed copy of the Bulletin. We’ll even
personally deliver it.. Jeers
- To the developer for banning the buffalo.
Wouldn’t you think that a way could be found to provide a better fence
in restricted access areas where we could still feed them critters?
If not, we suggest replacing the buffalo with goats. Jeers
- To the developer, the VCCDD, and the Southwest Florida Water Management
District (SWFWMD, or Swift-mud) for sticking residents with the much higher
“water conservation rate” on our monthly water utility bills.
This means that residents are bearing the cost and inconvenience of water
restrictions required by the excessive drains on the underground aquifer caused
by nonstop residential development in Jeers
- To the VHA for not offering to join the POA to address the hospital issue.
Also, Jeers to the VHA president, Roger Kass, for his conflict of
interests by working for the developer while also praising him. Cheers
- To the recreation division for its recent Luau Night Thank You event for
Villages Volunteers. That was great
fun. Thanks also to John Rohan for
his impromptu Hula demonstration -- he was a great sport to shake it all around
like that. Cheers - To the five residents who volunteered to serve as the initial appointed supervisors on the newly-formed Amenity Authority Committee (AAC). These supervisors will serve until the elected supervisors come on board after the November elections. Thanks for your dedication and your contribution to our community. Waste
Management, Inc. has invited The Village Greens to tour their Recycling
Facility near The
tour is FREE to the first 40 Villagers who sign-up!
Waste Management will provide a bus and a box lunch from Too Jay’s. The
bus will pickup at Publix on Highway 466 at 11:30a.m on June 10th and will
return late in the afternoon. Those
touring should wear closed-toe shoes and will be required to wear goggles and
cover-ups (supplied). This
should be a very interesting and educational trip and will clarify for us all
just how the recyclable garbage is separated and sent off to different vendors. If
you are interested in coming on this trip, please contact Sue Michalson
259-1426 to see if any spots are still available. The
Village Greens June meeting is an especially exciting one. One
of our board members, Bob Pine, has completely turned his home into a solar
energy home. He
has the first fully solar home in The Villages.
You are invited to tour his beautiful home on the day of our meeting,
June 25th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Then
come to our meeting at Laurel Manor at 6:30 for a presentation by Bob and the
company who installed his system. Bob’s
address is, For
more information contact: Passing
One Sumter was one of the most beneficial voters actions in years.
It returned the county to it’s original roots wherein all county
residents got to vote for all the county commissioners.
The result is evident. Commissioner cooperation exists again and each
district has its votes magnified five fold for the good of the county as a
whole. Taxes have been reduced, self
serving projects were reduced, canals dredged, wasteful items eliminated, and
everyone benefited. The
county school board has always selected their board and superintendent this way,
at large. All
five county commissioners prefer One Sumter at large voting. They ought to know.
The
voters preferred at large voting. Why
the fuss? If
it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Keep
One The
progress has been significant. Several
letters to the editor have come to us regarding the golf winnings policy.
Most of these object to the policy of awarding credit vouchers rather
than cash. Most of the letters criticize the policy due to the high cost of
merchandise in the country club pro shops. The
POA researched the issue, and learned the following on the USGA internet web
site: In
general, the USGA says amateurs should not play for cash prizes of any amount in
large, organized events [more than a few foursomes] where playing for the money
is not optional, there are no prizes other than cash, or the fact that cash
prizes will be awarded is advertised. In
view of the above, the USGA urges groups not to award cash prizes. By awarding
merchandise or gift certificates redeemable for merchandise instead of cash,
this would ensure that the amateur status of the players in the group would not
even be brought into question. The
USGA allows amateurs to accept prize vouchers for other than cash (i.e.,
merchandise) for no more than $750 retail. The USGA seems to hold the line that
amateurs cannot accept cash prizes of any value.
Any
decision on this issue in The Villages will be made by Ken Creeley.
If you and many others beat the drums on this issue with him, you might
get some accommodation. It is going
to take a groundswell of comments from concerned golfers here to make the point
and campaign for change. At
the very least, the POA would recommend that credit vouchers be accepted
throughout The Villages at businesses owned by the developer, and that discounts
be given for the use of the credits at the developer-owned pro shops. But,
there are problems with that credit slip idea also.
Merchandise in the golf pro shops is way overpriced. And, golfers in the
executive course scrambles often don't play the championship courses. So,
here is a recommended solution to these problems: -
When the credit slips are used to purchase merchandise in the golf pro shops,
allow a substantial discount of, say, 20%-25% on the purchase.
-
Continue to accept credit slips for championship course green fees, but also on
the executive courses for equipment rental (carts, etc), trail fees, and guest
greens fees. -
Allow the credit slips to be used at any developer-owned businesses in The
Villages. -
Also, some residents may be willing to waive amateur status and accept cash
payments, so why not accommodate them? - As a final point, we ask that the golf division follow up with the USGA and get clarification about the amateur policy and whether the really minor payments of our men’s and women’s day awards could qualify for an exemption from the rule about cash awards. The awards are so minor that they should not cause a problem. Patti
Davis, daughter of former president Ronald Reagan, wrote the following about
her father in the July 16, 2003, issue of Newsweek.
This has been condensed for space requirements here. ******************************* Sometimes
I think we need to look no farther than the pattern of footprints stretched
out behind us to understand the lives we’ve lived.
We
can follow the first tentative steps of our infancy through the long, defiant
strides of adolescence and young adulthood -- the running away years, the
years of putting distance between ourselves and our families, of burning up
time -- to the more solid footprints, set down as we grow older. These
are the tracks we leave on the earth. If
we look closely we can also see our parents’ footprints, often close to us, as
they guide and lead us, at other times far behind, as they wait for us to turn
and remember them. We
slow down, finally, to look longer and more carefully at our parents.
My father, who strode confidently onto the stage of history ... was
always polite – achingly so – and even in the depths of his illness, still
(was).... I didn’t stop to linger
on the sweetness of that quality, or to learn from it. There
are people who would say that my father’s footprints are larger and deeper
than those of other parents because his political legacy gives them weight,
creating indelible marks in the halls of history....
I see his footprints pressed into the wet sand of the beach as he walked
toward the sea to catch steep waves and ride them back to shore.
His stride was as smooth and certain as it was when he walked into the
White House, and onto the stage of history.
I see a small girl on that beach as well, pressing her feet into the
shapes that her father’s feet have left to see how much bigger his footprints
are. I
have gotten lost in those footprints during my life; I have fought hard and
bloody battles to pull myself away. These
are the tracks I have left on the earth. But now I look for my father’s tracks on every beach, every trail. Because they mark the way home. A
recent Daily Sun article summarized Mark Morse's remarks at the last VHA
meeting when he supposedly stated "....accountability is a sweet
thing." We agree with Mr.
Morse and would add "accountability is the right thing."
Now
we ask whether Mr. Morse is being accountable when he: (1)
takes money from residents for vinyl siding homes and delivers to them homes
that have loose panels, incorrect overlaps, staples through the vinyl, bellies,
warps and waves, etc., all of which affect the value of residents' homes; (2)
states on the one hand that he tries to enhance The Villages lifestyle and
property values and tells Villagers to "stay engaged" while on the
other hand, he criticizes Villagers who are looking out for each other and
says they are "stirring the pot" and that some of them have a
personal vendetta against him; (3)
tells an audience that vinyl siding turns brittle after 3 years when, in fact,
most manufacturers warrant the vinyl itself well beyond that time frame; (4)
tells an audience that The Villages "build homes that meet or exceed all
building codes" when the (5)
brands one of the Vinyl Siding Committee members a "troublemaker"
and likens the entire vinyl siding problem to that of the buffalo, for which
he claims no responsibility. According
to him, the buffalo problem is the result of "critters" that can't
be controlled and cause too many claims, and the vinyl siding problem is the
result of troublemakers and personal vendettas against him. Mr. Morse, please, no more excuses or finger-pointing elsewhere. Just do the sweet thing and be accountable, without further delay, to Villagers for their vinyl siding problems. It's the right thing to do. We
thought we were finally starting to get some cooperation with regard to vinyl
siding repairs. Our committee members, overwhelmed by the volume of homeowner
requests, were starting to advise homeowners to call Home Warranty first, to
give them the opportunity to fix the original siding installations. A few of the
installation companies were actually doing some nice work. But
now it looks like our budding confidence was undeserved.
Instead of making progress, now it seems Home Warranty and the
contractors are backpedaling. We
have heard they are refusing to do repairs, and telling homeowners they have a
letter from a manufacturer authorizing them to do less than the standard nailing
patterns previously recommended. We’ve
heard that they’re telling residents their homes will look worse following
repairs—anything to convince homeowners NOT to have their houses fixed.
And this tactic is very persuasive with elderly homeowners—now
they’re afraid to have any repairs done! No
wonder residents are overwhelmed and confused.
Perhaps Home Warranty doesn’t understand that a properly done repair
will not look worse, but a shoddy repair probably will. If your house looks
worse after repairs are completed, then the repairs haven’t been done right!
Seems simple enough, doesn’t it? Some
residents contacting Home Warranty for siding repairs have been told that the
POA Siding Committee members who have made observations about siding flaws on
Villages homes are “not qualified.” Not
qualified for what? For seeing the
obvious? For seeing what all the
architects, engineers, project managers, contractors, siders and inspectors
have failed to see, or ignored, if they did see it?
Are these Home Warranty personnel the same ones who previously told
homeowners that there was nothing wrong, and it’s just a “troublemaker”
from the POA making these comments? Siding
Installation Manuals are available in English and Spanish.
Anyone who can read could easily compare the installation manual to the
actual installations done on our homes. In fact, there are so many diagrams in
the manual, that you don’t even have to be able to read to follow the basic
installation techniques. These
remarks by Villages personnel are nothing more than further evasion of
responsibility. What a despicable
effort to undermine the growing surge of dissatisfaction among homeowners who
have paid for something they did not receive. As
we have pointed out many times in these pages, it does not matter who sees or
doesn’t see a problem—it’s still a problem and it still needs to be
fixed. And,
as for qualifications, our Vinyl Siding Committee members have combined
experience of more than 125 years. In
fact, one of our members taught construction for 30 years before retiring to The
Villages. We are not claiming to be
inspectors. We are retired members
of the construction industry. But we
certainly can make observations and share our knowledge and experience with our
neighbors. Our
observations show many instances of shoddy workmanship and installations done
with no regard for the installation manual. If the installers are
“qualified,” why do they keep making the same “mistakes?”
For years and years and years. When
the mistakes are pointed out, why do they make excuses and have to do repairs
over and over, forcing homeowners to call Home Warranty again and again?
Not
only is qualification an issue here, so is integrity! Certification
is a piece of paper that is meaningless unless one applies the rules and
instructions. Those installers who
are “qualified,” yet choose not to follow the installation manual and refuse
to make the proper repairs, should have their certification withdrawn.
And if certified workers were doing the job correctly in the first place,
there would be few flaws that anyone could find, “qualified” or not. And
speaking of credentials, we’d still like to know about those of Home
Warranty’s Dennis Stradinger and Robert Locke.
What exactly are their professionals qualifications and training?
What real world experience do they have?
If they have been properly trained, how can they possibly not see the
installation problems? If they’re
untrained or inexperienced, why do they hold the positions they’re in?
Worst of all, suppose they are indeed seeing the problems, yet deny they
exist. Like
the “troublemaker” label, using the “unqualified” label reflects badly
on those who have the qualifications and are trying to help fellow Villagers.
If the siders, project managers, and inspectors had been doing their
jobs, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.
Don’t blame it on a “troublemaker,” blame it on yourselves.
You should have done the job properly to begin with, instead of foisting
shoddy work on unsuspecting homeowners. If
it “costs too much to fix,” that’s still no excuse for a bad fix or for
not fixing the workmanship problems at all. For
the numerous residents who have had their siding repaired because of our
volunteer’s efforts, we’re a positive organization.
For those who don’t need or want repairs, we may seem to be negative,
harping on the same issue all this time. But
if we saved you a lot of money and our efforts resulted in improvements to
your property, we’re pretty sure you would consider us to be positive.
It’s all a matter of your perspective. When
the POA sees a problem in the community, and we speak out about it in a effort
to make improvements, that’s POSITIVE. Whether
it’s the siding or the hospital, we want change for the better, to enhance our
lifestyle and protect our property value, just like the VHA.
We don’t need to sugar-coat issues to feel positive—we try to address
the issues so corrections and changes can be made. Some
people may feel that discussing problems is negative.
We don’t. We think
confronting problems and working toward solutions is POSITIVE, and beneficial
for all residents, whether you feel like it concerns your immediate lifestyle or
not. Take,
for example, our Siding Committee volunteers.
Retirees, like most of you, who came here to enjoy our “golden
years.” Instead, we are spending our time helping our neighbors.
This is what community spirit is all about and our members are proud to
contribute their knowledge and experience for a better community. In
his recent VHA address, Mark Morse mentioned The Villages old “tried and
true” siding installation techniques. However,
just because vinyl siding has held up during hurricanes and a major tornado, it
does not follow that the installation job was done properly and that no repairs
would ever be needed. Obviously, The
Villages recognizes this because their old “tried and true” techniques have
been changed in the last year and a half to more closely comply with the
manufacturer’s instruction manual and the Florida State Building Code.
And more workers are being trained to do a better job.
In the past, we were told by one builder, they would hire anyone with a
heartbeat. How does that make you
feel about the quality of construction on your home? Would you want that policy
to continue, or is it better to have workers who are trained?
Isn’t this a POSITIVE change? Instead
of scoffing at the POA and The Bulletin in a negative way during his
presentation to the VHA, Mr. Morse should have been thanking the individuals who
have been instrumental in bringing about those changes.
If no one ever commented about the old, makeshift techniques, if no one
discussed the problems, changes and improvements on new construction would never
have been made. Surely this is
POSITIVE for Villagers! But
it didn’t take just a remark or a suggestion.
It took months and months of persistence through many obstacles to
convince The Villages that these changes are correct and necessary.
Although never admitting it, they have acknowledged this by making the
changes. But if persistent attention
had not been directed to the problems by the POA, The Bulletin, and the Vinyl
Siding Committee, there would have been no changes in the methods used on new
construction. As
well as monitoring the continuation of proper techniques on new installations,
what remains is to deal with the existing vinyl-sided homes, most of which are
still in need of repairs to bring the installations up to the standards that
have been described in manufacturers’ installation manuals for years. We’re
not asking for any “new technology” to be used.
Just the same installation manual for manufacturer’s parts and
installation techniques that has been around as long as we can remember.
We need to act to “protect the lifestyle and real estate values” of
the community, as Mr. Morse and the VHA have put it.
And we hope The Villages’ response to our constructive comments and
observations is to act POSITIVELY and “take the high road” by making repairs
requested by homeowners regardless of who discovers the flaws.
Below
is the contact information for the two siding installers which we think have
done good vinyl siding repair jobs in the past for Villagers: New
Look Exteriors Steve
Justice 352-288-3040
Brix
& Stix Terry
Poortenga, Vice President 352-330-1817,
352-516-0505 cell Thank
you for publishing the information about other Emergency Rooms and My
wife and I appreciate the effort that you and other POA members have put into
finding solutions to the many problems that exist in The Villages.
I could not understand why Mr. Gary Morse still allows construction
companies to build poor quality homes. Such
shoddy work spoils the image of The Villages and also lowers our home values.
It is too bad that he continues to allow the standard of excellence for
The Villages to fall. I
lived in the southwestern part of the state before moving here.
The problems existed in all of the developments that were being built in
that area. Until this state
legislature passes laws that favor the buyer/homeowner instead of the developer,
shoddy construction is going to be a way of life.
Until developers are held accountable, legally and eventually
financially, they will not change their practices.
The only way to capture their attention is to "hit them where it
hurts" i.e. in the pocketbook. Again
thank you for all that you do to help the homeowners in The Villages.
Apr 26: The good news is that the OBG Country Club Restaurant is going to get a new face lift. HURRAY.... Chip, the manager, in conversation said that he had renewed his lease. HURRAY.... He would paint the walls, get new chairs or paint the old, fix the chain cushions, and get new carpet and new wall paper. HURRAY¼. This is the best news. I wish Chip the best of everything. Keep up the best food and best place in town. This is GOOD NEWS!! HURRAY FOR CHIP and OBG COUNTRY CLUB RESTAURANT. The
authors are members of the Ad Hoc Study Group on Lightning. Len Hathaway is a
retired fire protection consultant, Bob Freeman, a retired electrical
engineer, and John Wright, a retired civil engineer. As
The Villages continues to grow we probably have many new residents that do not
realize that Once
you are at home or safely in a substantial building it is wise to avoid
plumbing and electrical equipment, corded telephones and windows until the
storm passes. This
is also an opportune time to highlight the subject of lightning protection
systems. Included in the definition “lightning protection systems” are
roof-mounted lightning rods connected to a system of conductors to ground,
bonding and grounding between other systems such a electric, telephone, cable,
and gas, surge protection on your electric system, and plug-in devices for
highly sensitive electronic equipment like televisions, computers, and other
appliances. This addresses the hazards of direct lightning and indirect
lightning. Lightning
rods have been used successfully for over 200 years. You may have observed
that the developer has been proactive and installed lightning protection
systems on many of the public and commercial buildings and pumping stations
around The Villages. Further, since the turn of the 21st Century, lightning
protection systems have been the subject of comprehensive studies by three
independent panels of experts. All confirmed the effectiveness of lightning
protection systems with one major caveat. And that is for a lightning
protection system to be effective it must be designed, installed, and
maintained according to the
national standard known as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)-780,
Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems, 2008 edition. But
how do you know if a prospective installer will provide a standard-compliant
system? The savvy buyer will select an installer who has undergone the
scrutiny of an independent third party. For over 100 years that third party is
Underwriters Laboratories (UL). You can find the name of these firms that
specialize in lightning protection systems at www.ul.com/lightning and then
select “Related Links” and then “Find Listed Installer” When the
screen opens up click on “Refine Your Search” and select “ As
a savvy buyer you should be aware that some prospective installers may come to
your door and tell you that they use UL “approved” components. That is good
but you should insist on an installer that is currently UL “listed” as
described above. The
most common cause of lightning-induced damage occurs when an electrical surge
enters your home via electric, telephone, and cable lines. One way to reduce the
risk of lightning-induced surge damage is to install voltage surge protection
(commonly referred to as “whole-house” surge suppression or surge arresting)
on the main electric service panel or at the electric meter as specified by the
national standard, NFPA-780. To meet this requirement you may need to contract
with a licensed electrician or your local electric utility that can validate
that they are installing a UL “listed” device. Surge protection is designed
to protect major appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, garbage disposals,
dishwashers, heating & air-conditioning systems, washers, dryers. Next,
you will also need to consider protection for sensitive electronic equipment
like televisions, sound systems, garage door openers, irrigation controllers,
microwave ovens, and particularly computers with Underwriters Laboratories
“listed” plug-in surge protectors. If
you have no protection it is a wise to disconnect the power and telephone/cable
to a computer during a thunderstorm. The
lightning standard (NFPA-780) also embraces the concept of “bonding and
grounding.” This includes all metal roof vents, hot water heater, furnace,
chimney, vent fans, and any additional metal objects on the roof. “Bonding and
grounding” is also needed for homes with a corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST)
gas manifold in the attic. The entire lighting protection system should also be
connected to the existing ground wires adjacent to your exterior utility service
entrances. Proper "bonding and grounding," as just described, is
important to keep all equipment at the same ground potential during voltage
transient conditions. This reduces the possibility of electrical arcing and
damage to electrical equipment. If anyone tells you that they can install a lightning protection system in two to four hours for $500 to $1,200, it should raise a red flag in the mind of the savvy buyer. For a Designer Home (2500 to 3000 sq under roof) the cost of a standard-compliant system by a UL “listed” installer is estimated at $2,200 to $2,700, probably less for Villas and Ranches and more for Premier Homes. These estimates do not include the cost of the voltage surge protection or plug in devices. I
am compelled to respond to letter writer Garvin Bailey, who believes the POA
Bulletin should be renamed because of all the complaining.
I can understand Mr. Bailey's thoughts, but ask that he consider where
"we" (those of us that live south of 466) are coming from.
I will bet my last dollar, Mr. Bailey is fortunate enough to live north
of 466, where the difference is night and day. We
looked at resale homes north of 466, and I am very sorry we did not
purchase one. The size of lots, placement/street layout, quality of the
building and trades inside could not be any more opposite, compared to south
of 466. This is especially true of
homes built/sold in late 2005 through 2006. Never
mind the homes were crammed on tiny lots with only the county required
distance between them. They were
built super quickly because of demand, and it showed.
I
recall seeing signs that read: CABINET INSTALLERS NEEDED, NO EXPERIENCE
NECESSARY. No doubt my cabinets were
installed by one who responded. And
the same goes for the rest of the house. Nothing is straight.
Walls, floors, windows, bathroom fixtures, and just about every light
switch is crooked. I don't even want
to think about the troublesome GE appliances or Trane air conditioners that
repeatedly malfunction. Mine was not working at closing, and that model was
already discontinued. Had to wait 3
weeks for replacement, then that one went out and was replaced again within 4
months. Guess we know why they were
"discontinued." Back
to those tiny lots. My home, and
others on my street, were built with no door off the lanai.
The houses are so crammed, the steps required for exit would be in the
county required setback/minimum. In
addition to close proximity, evidently they did not use much insulation, as I
can hear my west side neighbor flushing the toilet. I
could say more, especially regarding the warranty (or lack of it) department,
but am sure you don't want to hear it. Again,
be very thankful you live where you do. Should
you decide to leave, selling your home should not be a problem.
I have told my friends and family to definitely buy on your side, and not
to consider the new area. We bought
"the sizzle" of The Villages, and am very happy. Just wish we lived
closer to you.
We
are members of the POA and appreciate everything you folks do for the
homeowners of The Villages. The
following is a letter that was emailed as follows: Dear
Mark Morse, VHA Officers, Directors, Boards, Etc. As
members and homeowners we are very disturbed by some of the comments Mark
Morse made at the May general meeting. This
concerns the siding problems which are true and real, not unfounded
criticism as he stated. He should feel disappointed and also embarrassed
that homeowners have found their homes are not the quality built structures
they were stated to be. It
is not true that most of us have damaged our siding by making alterations.
The homeowners did not frame the house or install the siding.
Our house happens to be one of the many that had to have siding
removed and replaced because the few nails that were used were put 3 and 3½
feet apart, installed by a company that has been removed from working here.
The outside plywood on the gable ends of the house had to be replaced
also because it was bulging and installed wrong. The
nails in our drywall are not 16" on center.
Our inside door casings were chipped and gouged when installed and
just painted over. Kitchen
cabinets have hammer marks, dents, scrapes, some puttied over to cover up.
We
have walls that are not straight. Our garage floor concrete was finished so
poorly the builder told us he did not like the way it looked so he painted
over it. He had to chip away large pieces of overflow concrete on our
foundation and it looks terrible. These
things we did not notice so clearly when choosing our house since we only had
an hour window to make the decision. We
also did not have time to move in and inspect every nook and cranny within 30
days and register a complaint. You
begin to notice these things later when you start thoroughly cleaning.
Our carpets required re-stretching also with a many excuses as to why
they were like this. Well, we know
why, they were not installed properly in the first place. You
know these tactics make a lot of money for your builders, contractors and
installers because we as homeowners have to find someone reliable to fix all
of this so we can sell our house and upgrade to a new one. I
have learned that your father was very different from you and your brother.
Yes, he cared and would not be happy with a lot of the happenings since
his passing. A portion of complete
honesty and integrity has been lost for the almighty dollar. I've
been reading the POA Bulletin and trying to figure out what the POA really
does. A
strong voice is needed to make sure "The Right Thing" is
done when establishing a community. I
wonder if looking at the glass ALWAYS half empty really accomplishes as much
as POA sets out to do. I
believe in people taking responsibility for their actions and for living up
to commitments. It seems to me
the Morse family, "THE DEVELOPER," envisioned a retirement
community where we all could enjoy these precious years. Overall
I think he has done that. Has he
made mistakes, sure, but on the whole what a GREAT place to live. I
applaud POA for standing up for Villagers and being the oversight watchdog
to try and make sure things are done right and fair.
But sometimes we can get carried away looking for what is wrong.
In your May paper there wasn’t a whole lot of good things said in
your survey comments. Yet I
believe there is a lot of good things to say.
I
bought my home here not expecting a custom built house, but a track home
that I ordered. After all they
were building at a rate of 200+/month and these weren't custom builders for
the most part – and we all knew this going in!
Were there problems, yes, did they get fixed, yes, did I have to
push, yes! I
came to the Villages hopefully buying my last home, but I came to enjoy the
lifestyle. Where can you live and pay less than $150/month to have access to
over 20 swimming pools, 22 rec centers, 30+ golf courses, two town squares
with live entertainment, over 500 clubs to join, manicured landscaping with
fresh flowers every 6 months, restaurants, shops galore, fishing and some of
the nicest people I've ever met. How
does this compare to faulty siding, and Hospital issues?
Should it be fixed -- you bet! If
you think hospitals are bad here, go to anywhere in south Again
I say keep up the watch, but try to keep it all in perspective, and maybe
print more articles on what's good here.
Pete Capo Editor’s
Note: Your comments are well taken.
But, what would you do if you just paid $200,000 for your vinyl sided
home and found that there were
major workmanship defects in the vinyl installation job, and the developer
told you to just accept it because you have this great life style to enjoy?
If the Warranty Dept. told you to buzz off, you could always contract
an independent siding contractor to fix the sloppy vinyl job, and it could
cost you up to $10,000. Was developer was right when he told us that people don’t have a problem unless we tell them they have a problem? Does he think it is better not to know? The POA believes you want to and should know. In
mid April, one of our Siding Committee members visited the home of an elderly
widow in the The
POA Siding Committee then had two members look at the house again, and they
concurred with their original opinion: it was indeed a sloppy, careless
installation, done without regard for basic siding installation rules.
The
widow told us that several years ago, at the time of her husband’s death, nine
siding panels had fallen down in heavy winds.
When she contacted Home Warranty at that time, they gave her the brush
off, and she had to have the panels reinstalled on her own, in the midst of her
grief at losing her husband. This
lady was in tears just recounting the story. Shame
on you both, Contractor Hess and Villages Home Warranty.
May
15: I
read in the Daily Sun this morning about the sad news that the I
am incensed that The Villages "authority" has decided to remove the [About the lack of a tunnel for the new shopping centers], people cross highway 441/27 on motorized wheelchairs. People should be allowed to simply cross Rolling Acres Rd. in a golf cart ....!? Don Lloyd It
has been brought to our attention that the Sumter County Zoning Board [heard] a
petition on May 19, 2008, to approve a land use proposal for a public horse
racing track and poker facility in The
POA should immediately the alert the community of this deleterious land use
proposal in
|
