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It
is a fair question to ask: What has the POA done for Villagers lately?
Any
property or home owners’ association should be able to list worthwhile
recent accomplishments that related to its mission statement and the residents
it serves. A
corollary question is: What are you going to do for me in the future? Let’s
address both questions for the POA. Accomplishments
are listed immediately below and the next article in this Bulletin on page 2
lists Current POA Projects.
web site). The POA felt then and now that The Villages hospital did not need the tax to be an operational success. We also spoke out strongly against the proposal to pass 20% of the tax on to a Morse family foundation associated with one of the wealthiest families in the state. Although we were against the tax, we advocated starting the hospital expansion as soon as possible or otherwise selling the hospital to a hospital management company which could start the expansion quickly. 3.
The One Sumter Proposal - We opposed the One Sumter initiative on
the November, 2004, ballot, but this initiative passed by a slim margin.
We feel that the POA helped to advise residents about the issues and
to make up their minds in a well-informed way.
See the Bulletin article in the August, 2004, issue on the web site. 4.
Bob Evans Restaurant - The POA helped to frame the debate in a
positive way on this issue about building this restaurant in a residential
area of The Villages. We felt
it was important to recognize the rights and preferences of the near-by
residents. Remember that the
developer sent a heavy-handed letter to these residents demanding that they
sign a notarized statement allowing a change in the covenants for the land
in question from residential to commercial status.
The POA was prepared to mobilize a legal challenge to any
heavy-handed developer actions. See
the July and August, 2004, issues of the Bulletin. 5.
Patron Program - The Lifelong Learning Center had the original
Patron Program that allowed special discounts for special people who made a
special donation to the Center for events in properties owned by Villagers.
The POA felt that these special discounts for events in our own
properties were unfair to all of us that supported these properties through
our monthly fees. The Center
finally changed the policy to allow discounts for Patron members only for
events outside Villages common properties. 6.
VCCDD Financial Statements - We often hear questions from residents
about the use of their monthly fees. “Where
does all of that money go?” they ask. Neither the VCCDD, nor the VHA, nor the Daily Sun has
published details of the use of the monthly fees.
But, the POA obtained the 2005 fiscal year financials and published the
details on the POA web site under the button for The Villages Government.
Now we see that a substantial portion of our monthly fees (over 60% in
the case of the VCCDD) is used for Debt Service to pay for purchases of common
property from the developer at inflated prices. 7.
Mock Vote - The POA has often noted that Villagers cannot vote for the
Central District supervisors who make all of the big money decisions in The
Villages. Nor can we vote for the
top administrative people in the Central Districts.
In conjunction with the November, 2004, election, the POA conducted a
Mock Vote for these officials that identified serious problems with the way
these officials are viewed by Villagers.
The POA also offered a series of recommendations on how to remedy the
situation. See the Bulletins from
November, 2004, and February, 2005, on the web site. 8.
Annual Survey - The POA has often commented that the Annual Survey
conducted by the VCCDD has only limited value and is basically a whitewash job
that misses the significant issues that should be addressed.
The POA published its Second Annual Survey of over 500 residents in
June, 2004 that addressed these more significant issues.
This showed a variety of good points and poor points and, hopefully,
allowed residents to make up their own minds about the issues.
Perhaps one day the VCCDD will eliminate the fluff and incorporate some
of the POA questions about more significant issues into its own annual survey. 9.
Villages Government - The POA article in the September, 2004, issue of
the Bulletin suggested how alternate forms of government in The Villages might
be better suited to the needs of residents in the future.
Perhaps it was too early to start this debate – but, maybe not.
See for yourself on the web site. 10.
POA Web Site - We finally got this off the ground and the response has
been heartening. No where else
will you final this much relevant information about the POA, and The Villages,
and the issues that affect us on a daily basis.
We are adding features to the site often.
Almost three years of Bulletins are displayed.
And, there is a listing of recent relevant newspaper articles about
issues in The Villages. Summary
- Hopefully, you agree that the POA lives up to its Mission Statement listed
on page two of this Bulletin. We
are advocates of Residents’ Rights – and that means you and all the
residents of The Villages. These
are just a few of the projects we are pursuing on your behalf under the banner
of Residents’ Rights for all Villagers. 1.
Hospital Expansion - We plan to continue campaigning for the Leesburg
Regional Medical Center (LRMC) to start the expansion of The Villages Regional
Hospital (TVRH) as soon as possible. We
think it is morally wrong for LRMC to delay the expansion any further because
people could die waiting for the expansion to be completed.
If LRMC cannot arrange the financing of the expansion with its own
resources and without the hospital tax, then it should sell TVRH to some other
hospital management company that can. And
sooner rather than later – it has been eight months since the November, 2004,
voter turndown of the hospital tax idea. This
delay is unreasonable and disappointing. 2.
Chapter 190 Law - The POA feels strongly that the Chapter 190 Florida
Statute law that created Community Development Districts (CDDs) should be
reformed to eliminate abuses that we see here in The Villages.
Specifically, we think that residents should be able to elect the
supervisors in the Central Districts (the VCCDD and the SLCCD).
These are the supervisors who make all the big money decisions in The
Villages - and they are effectively appointed by the developer of The Villages.
Residents have no say in these matters.
This is like Taxation Without Representation.
The POA is working to change the Chapter 190 law. 3.
CDD Issues, Problems, Abuses - The POA and the Bulletin perform a
valuable “watchdog” function here in The Villages as it relates to the
developer and the Central District governments. We go to these meetings.
We track and publicize problems and issues that are important to
Villagers. If not for the POA, you
might not hear about many of these important issues.
And, we voice our opinion – to help you understand and decide on the
many issues that affect Villagers. 4.
VHA Differences - We will continue to point out the difference between
the POA and the VHA on key issues. There are many differences between these two organizations.
The key point is that the VHA will never take a position on a
Residents’ Rights issue that is contrary to the will or interests of the
developer. This VHA position puts
residents at a disadvantage compared to the developer.
The POA is independent of the developer and speaks out for your best
interests - and always has, and always will.
5.
Residents’ Rights - The POA is an advocate
of Residents’ Rights as listed on page two of this Bulletin.
If the POA doesn’t speak out on these Rights, nobody will ... not the
VHA, not the VCCDD, not the SLCCD, not the Villages Chamber of Commerce, not the
CIC. But, the POA does and will
continue to do so. 6.
The Next Community Issue - We don’t know what it is, but something
will come up in the future for which the POA will voice an opinion and perhaps
lead a charge. You may not always
agree, but wouldn’t you want the benefit of an independent opinion so that you
can be informed and make up your own mind? If you say no, then you are embracing the “Ignorance is
Bliss” position. We certainly
hope not. 7.
Other - The POA has several internal projects that are important: (a)
building the membership, (b)
identifying further candidates for the Hall of Fame honor, (c)
expanding distribution of the Bulletin to all areas of The Villages, (d)
making the Bulletin financially self-sufficient through advertising revenue, (e)
funding a “legal action fund.” Perhaps
the most important here is the first mentioned: building the membership.
Without the broad support of Villagers, we would be unable to maintain
these activities on your behalf. If
you value these activities, please join the POA (see the membership form on page
7) and lend your voice to those of us trying to make The Villages an even better
place in which to live. It is your
community now – get involved and support the POA ! One
of the most important agenda items for the POA is to see the expansion of The
Villages Regional Hospital (TVRH) start now.
We
have spoken out often and strongly that the Leesburg Regional Medical Center (LRMC)
is morally wrong to delay the start of the expansion.
If LRMC cannot start the expansion soon, based on its own resources and
without the Sumter County hospital tax, then it should sell the hospital to any
one of several hospital management companies that have the resources to start
the expansion now. With
this in mind, Mr. Joe Gorman, president of the POA, recently met with Mr. Louis
Bremer, the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LRMC, to discuss these matters. The
meeting was cordial, informative, and productive.
Mr. Bremer said that he was starting to get a handle on the job in which
he had only served for about a month. He
mentioned that the departure of the previous CEO caused a disruption of their
expansion plan review efforts. But,
Mr. Bremer was learning fast and has
formed a review committee to examine all the expansion options.
He made no promises, but thought that LRMC might have a better idea of
how to proceed later this year. After
that meeting, Mr. Bremer send a letter to Mr. Joe Gorman as reprinted below: Dear
Mr. Gorman: It
was a pleasure meeting with you and I appreciate the time you spent sharing with
me your perspective on the healthcare needs of The Villages.
As I stated during our meeting, LRMC has served the area for over four
decades and our goal is to continue to serve and meet the needs of the area
through the provision of high quality healthcare services through the LRMC/TVRH
healthcare system. As
to the expansion of The Villages Regional Hospital, unfortunately the departure
of the previous LRMC CEO slowed the process.
However, there has been progress but not the kind of progress that is
visible to the community. When I
arrived as the new interim CEO a few weeks ago, the LRMC Board shared with me
their desire to quickly move forward to address the expansion issues and asked
me to make it one of my priorities. Since
that time, I have been working on the issue with my staff and with architects
and a contractor. My goal is to
present a recommendation to the LRMC Board within the next 90 days.
I would anticipate that they would then move quickly to act on the
recommendation. In
addition to the above, I am also working with the staffs at both TVRH and LRMC
to look for ways to better accommodate the increased volume of patients at both
hospitals. This has included the
use of outside consultants to help us to better evaluate our processes and to
identify opportunities for improvement. Additionally,
we will be evaluating your suggestion for an Urgent Care Center on the east
campus of TVRH. Again,
it was a pleasure meeting with you. Sincerely, Louis
H. Bremer, Jr. CHE Interim
Chief Executive Officer It
looks like the Chula Vista Club and Restaurant will go the way of the dinosaurs
and dodo birds. Gone! Good-bye! So Long! Sayonara!
Too Bad! Get Lost! What
a sad ending to a great place for dinner and dancing and meeting friends and
having fun. The
VCCDD has all but finalized the transfer of the property’s assets from the
developer. The VCCDD plans to turn the facility into a recreation
center, probably a pool and ping-pong facility. Perhaps
a plaque will be put up in a corner saying that friendly people used to love
this place in the good old days when The Villages was our joy and our community
and not a money machine for the developer. What’s
disturbing is that the developer could have saved the club with a little
community understanding and responsibility.
It is said that the reason the club folded was that the developer
substantially increased the lease charges to the operator of the club, thus
forcing it out of business. “Why
should the developer financially subsidize the operation of the club?” some
would say. Well,
the developer set up the swimming pools and shuffleboard courts and Boccie
courts and tennis courts with no revenue coming in and these are fully
subsidized. Why not also subsidize an extremely popular restaurant and
dance club with lower lease charges that allow the operation to continue?
Isn’t
that the idea of what the monthly maintenance fee is for? Another
issue here is that the developer made this decision without any input from
residents. It is almost as if the
developer doesn’t give a darn what residents think.
This is a gross violation of Residents’ Rights number 10 listed on page
two of this Bulletin. This is our
community and we should be consulted beforehand on any major change in or
addition to our community. And,
on this point, several recent surveys of 562 people (see the last two Bulletins)
confirmed that almost everybody surveyed on this issue wanted the Chula Vista
Club to continue as it was as a restaurant and dance club for residents.
We’ll say it again: It is
almost as if the developer doesn’t give a darn what residents think. So,
what’s next? The El Santiago Club
is the last restaurant inside The Villages like the Chula Vista Club and the
Silverlake Club that is not associated with a golf country club.
The Tierra Del Sol restaurant always seems to be struggling.
And, the Hacienda restaurants seem to be in trouble now that one of the
two has closed. Which of these is next on the developer’s Hit List?
Maybe
that is why these restaurants don’t take reservations – they are never sure
day-to-day whether the developer will allow them to stay in business tomorrow.
Elaine
Dreidame has been appointed a Director of the POA.
Congratulations, Elaine! Elaine
comes to the POA board with an interest in helping on the effort to reform the
CDD legislation in Chapter 190 Florida Statues.
She has already identified 319 CDDs in Florida and will head up our
effort to build a CDD database. In
Elaine’s pre-Villages life she was an Associate Athletic Director at the
University of Dayton. We look
forward to working with her and to her contributions to our organization. Please
offer Elaine your best wishes and congratulations when you next see her. The
June 16, 2005, Pete’s Place column by Pete Wahl, District Administrator, is a
good example of a well-done Pete’s Place article. The
column covered: Tropical Storm Arlene, the annual Villages fire assessment
charge increase, the Sumter County Fire Assessment Program, the issue with minor
gambling-type jackpots, the addition of Ms. Janet Tuff to the Villages central
district staff, and the weekly CDD school. All
of these are worthwhile and timely subjects for reading by Villagers in the
weekly column of our top administrative official. We
have criticized the column in the past for covering frivolous blather or trivial
personal ramblings. Sometime, it
seems as if Mr. Wahl does not have much to say. But,
not in this issue. The article was
well done and contained worthwhile information.
Thanks, Pete. On
the other hand, we would like to take issue with Mr. Wahl for playing loose with
the district’s budget numbers. If
you remember a few months ago, Mr. Wahl explained in the Pete’s Place column
the problem with the recent election vote that increased the minimum wage in
Florida. If we remember correctly,
he said that the impact on district budgets was easily over $400,000. This
was the justification for increasing a variety of fees that Villagers have to
pay as an offset to the minimum wage increase impact. The
Executive Golf trail fees went up, storage fees for the RV lots went up,
residents are now charged for the Neighborhood Watch service, and a variety of
other fees were increased to offset the money squeeze due to the minimum wage
increase. It
sure sounded like our budget was being hammered by the increase in the minimum
wage. To be sure, this appeared to be a real and serious problem. Then,
Mr. Wahl found $50,000 in the VCCDD budget for part payment of sinkhole repairs
on Richmond Drive in Sumter County. * Then,
Mr. Wahl hired Ms. Janet Tutt to be a co-manager of the districts at a salary,
benefits, office, and outfitting cost that probably approaches $200,000. Then,
Mr. Wahl was arranging for a $4 million 20-year mortgage to pay for the cost of
the Paradise Center renovation at an annual charge of approximately $350,000. Where
did all this money come from? Especially
at the same time Mr. Wahl was crying wolf over the catastrophic increase in the
minimum wage. Either
Mr. Wahl is playing sneaky with us – or some funny budgeting is going on.... Perhaps
Mr. Wahl could explain this in the next Pete’s Place column.
* (Please note that in the hard copy print version of this Bulletin, this was erroneously reported as repairs to a pond on the Nancy Lopez golf course.) At
the time of the November, 2004, elections, Villagers were concerned about the
20% of the proposed Sumter Hospital District tax earmarked for a Morse family
foundation. This was one of the most onerous details of the hospital tax
proposal that was eventually defeated by voters at the polls. Fast
forward to today and the situation with the Monroe Regional Medical Center
Foundation in Ocala. Now this is a
murky situation involving allegations of misdeeds on the part of the Monroe
foundation. But, that is not the
issue to be addressed here. The
issue to notice is that the foundation’s role was to raise money for the
Monroe Hospital. As a matter of
fact, it had arranged for a $5 million donation to the hospital for the naming
rights for a new pediatric wing. Over
the past ten years, the hospital figures it got a 32% return on investment for
the operating funds and expense reimbursements it supplied to the foundation. So,
the important thing to notice here is that the Monroe foundation was helping to
raise money for the Monroe hospital. It
was not looking for a 20% handout of tax money as was apparently the case with
the Morse family foundation. And,
that 20% was to one of the wealthiest families in the state. If
the Morse family foundation wants to play a role in the operation or the future
of the Villages Regional Hospital, it should consider raising money for the
hospital rather than taking money from the hospital.
And,
we think that with its political and business connections, the Morse family
foundation could do a super job of fund-raising for the benefit of the hospital. How
about $5 - $10 million for the naming rights for the hospital? A
news story about a month ago stated that a new U. S. Customs office was being
funded at the Leesburg airport by “The Villages.” We
received a number of questions about this.
The most often-asked question was whether Villager monthly maintenance
fees were being used for this customs office. The
answer is “no.” This
customs office is receiving funding from the developer of the Villages, actually
from the developer’s corporation, know as The Villages of Lake-Sumter, Inc.
There is no funding coming from the residential community known as The
Villages. The
problem illustrated by this is the confusion of what is meant by a reference to
“The Villages.” Sometimes it
refers to the developer of The Villages; sometimes it refers to the community
known as The Villages. These are
two separate, but related, legal entities. Furthermore,
sometimes the Villages reference is to either the VCCDD or the SLCDD. Local
news sources should recognize these distinctions and use the proper reference. In
the case of the Leesburg airport Customs office, the reference should have been
to “the developer of The Villages.” Financing
for the renovation of the Paradise Center is close to being completed.
The
financing recommended by the VCCDD involves a commercial bank mortgage of up to
$4.0 million over a 20 year term at an interest rate of 4.2%.
The loan contains a balloon requirement after 10 years that will require
refinancing. The annual principal
and interest payment will be around $350,000. All
demolition and construction work, as well as furniture, fixtures, and equipment,
is included. The principal amount
covers a 15% contingency. The VCCDD stated that this will be repaid out of the VCCDD’s annual cash flow and no special assessment or increase in the monthly amenity fee will be required.
Senator
Carey Baker, our senator for The Villages in the Florida Legislature, spoke to
the POA membership at the June meeting. The
senator’s remarks were well reported in the Ocala Star Banner and The Reporter
– so we will not restate those comments here.
Suffice to say that the senator gave a good talk and was able to comment
on a variety of issues important to all Villagers. We
were happy to establish contact with Senator Baker - and we look to him as a
friend of the POA. A
week before the battle of Bull Run, Major Sullivan Ballou, 2nd Rhode Island
Volunteers, wrote home to his wife in Smithfield. ************* July
14, 1861 Camp Clark, Washington DC Dear Sarah:
The
indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days - perhaps
tomorrow. And lest I should not be able to write you again I feel
impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I am no more. I
have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am
engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter.
I know how American Civilization now leans upon the triumph of the
government and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the
blood and suffering of the Revolution. And
I am willing - perfectly willing - to lay down all my joys in this life, to help
maintain this government, and to pay that debt. Sarah,
my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that
nothing but omnipotence can break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like
a strong wind and bears me irresistibly with all those chains to the
battlefield. The memory of all the
blissful moments I have enjoyed with you come crowding over me, and I feel most
deeply grateful to God and you, that I have enjoyed them for so long. And how hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes
the hopes and future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and
loved together, and see our boys grown up to honorable manhood around us. If
I do not return, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I loved you, nor that when
my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name... Forgive
my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you.
How thoughtless, how foolish I have sometimes been!... But,
0 Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those
they love, I shall always be with you, in the brightest day and in the darkest
night ... always, always. And when
the soft breeze fans your cheek, it shall be my breath, or the cool air your
throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah
do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for me, for we shall meet
again... ************* Sullivan
Ballou was killed a week later at the 1st Battle of Bull Run. ************* Source:
Ken Burns Civil War TV series. The
district administrator has determined that garbage bags left at curbside for
pickup are actually lawn ornaments prohibited by the Covenants and Restrictions. Therefore,
residents will have to listen for the distinctive ring of the garbage trucks on
pickup day and hand carry their garbage bags to the trucks.
If
you miss the pickup you should take your garbage to your district office and
deposit it there. Be sure to get a
receipt. If
you fail to comply with these requirements, you will be arrested and sent to the
new District Jail (above Café Ole) where you will be tortured by a dominatrix
in black leather who will show no mercy.
(April Fools) July
20, 2005 THE
NEXT POA Third
Wednesday of the Month – 7:00 p.m. Ricardo
Montalban Room La Hacienda Center Mike
Tucker, Chief of The Villages Fire
Safety and Rescue Department, Will
Speak on Hurricane Preparedness COFFEE
AND **OLLIE’S SUNDAYS** FOR
ALL AFTER THE MEETING ALL
RESIDENTS WELCOME – COME AND JOIN US |
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