THE POA BULLETIN JUNE 2004

The POA has repeated the survey it first conducted in February, 2003. The objective of these surveys was to quantify and assess Villagers’ opinions about a variety of questions and issues of importance in our community.

These surveys grew out of disappointment with the annual survey conducted by the VCCDD. The POA views the VCCDD survey as much too general, incomplete, and lacking in enough details that can be measured on an annual basis. The VCCDD survey, furthermore, ducks the hard issues that should be part of the evaluation.

A total of 523 respondents in April and May, 2004, rated thirty (30) different questions or issues on a numerical scale between 1 and 10. A score of 10 represented the highest, best, or most satisfying rating; and a score of 1 represented the lowest, worst, or least satisfying rating.

The scores for all 30 questions were tabulated and averaged for only those responding to that particular question. Respondents were asked to only rate subjects with which they were familiar and to put “NR” for no response whenever they were unsure or had no opinion or no familiarity with the subject.

New questions were added this year to get a total of 30, compared to 20 last year. The “–” shown in the ratings below indicates that the question was not included in the 2003 survey.

Generally, scores over 9.0 could be considered “Excellent.” Unfortunately, no questions in either the February 2003 survey or the May 2004 survey rated at 9.0 or above. Scores can be judged in the following terms:

The 523 returned surveys in 2004 compared to a total of 150 returned in February, 2003. In 2003, the questionnaires were only distributed at POA meetings to POA members. In this year’s survey, the questionnaires were printed in the April and May issues of the POA Bulletin. These were widely distributed to over 12,000 Villages homes through home delivery to resident’s driveways.

Thus, this year’s survey response is considered more representative since the questionnaires were distributed to Villagers without consideration as to whether they were POA members, VHA members, or non-members of either organization.

This year’s survey may be too small a sample to be statistically valid. However, it is large enough to be representative and informative about the views of all Villagers.

The ratings are listed below for this year’s and last year’s surveys. The POA comments are shown immediately after each grouping.

Ratings

5/04 2/03

General Questions

Residents rated common landscaping, Villages cleanliness, and entertainment on the Square in the “Good” range. Landscaping and cleanliness showed upward improvements from the February 2003 survey.

Safety, the Villages hospital, and the amenity fee were in the “Poor” range. Safety has been an issue lately after the home invasions in Sumter County. The hospital has had its share of bad publicity over the long waits in the emergency department and the controversial Sumter Hospital District tax proposal. And a cost item like the amenity fee is never popular.

Traffic in The Villages scored at the bottom of the Poor range. Villagers are unhappy with the traffic situation, and the recent growth of our community is no justification for this undesirable situation. With our population now over 40,000, traffic improvements are needed soon – otherwise, we face traffic gridlock when the population approaches 100,000 in 5-8 years.

The Patron Program score of 2.8 is the lowest score of all 30 questions in this year’s survey and ranks in the “Disastrous” category. It is disgusting to consider that someone in The Villages conceived and implemented this extremely unpopular program. Hopefully, the VCCDD and the developer will put more thought into evaluating the reception that other new programs will get from residents in the future.

The first three resident services shown above almost scored in the “Excellent” category. That is a fine showing that these services can rightly be proud of. Overall, all six services scored solidly in the Good range. And, the four services that were included in the February 2003 survey showed improvements in this year’s survey.

has an obligation to this community to do a fair and balanced job of reporting the news. Fortunately, Villagers can see the biased and slanted stories for what they are.

The golf program in The Villages should be a bright and glistening jewel in the activities lineup. Unfortunately, the championship golf program gets low marks in the minds of Villagers.

Championship course conditions and the Priority golf program rate in the Poor category. Championship course conditions show a significant decline from the marks in 2003.

Championship greens fees rank in the Disastrous range with a score of 3.4. This is the second lowest ranking among the 30 questions in this year’s survey.

One could interpret these results to suggest that The Villages developer has a major credibility and public relations problem with Villages golfers as far as the championship golf program goes. The recent greens fee increase and the manner in which it was forced on Villagers surely is a contributing factor to these low ratings.

The executive golf program fared a bit better with a Good rating of 6.9 for course conditions.

The POA scored in the middle of the Good range with scores of 7.9. These ratings are down slightly from February 2003 when the survey was only passed out to POA members.

The VHA scored in the Poor category with scores of 5.4 and 5.7. These ratings are up slightly from February 2003 when VHA members were not included in the survey.

Nonetheless, it appears that many Villagers recognize that the VHA has a strong relationship with the developer and often speaks for and supports developer positions. The VHA didn’t score lower because Villagers apparently acknowledge that the organization has many worthwhile activities and services that are beneficial to our community. Unfortunately, the VHA does not support the POA concept of Residents’ Rights.

The CIC is not well understood and had a high percentage of “No Response” answers. Villagers rating the CIC, however, rated it in the Poor category. The CIC should try to do something about its low visibility and lack of understanding about its worthwhile function.

This last category is especially disappointing. It is sad to see our government held in such low regard. The VCCDD and Mr. Pete Wahl, District Administrator, were rated at the very bottom of the Poor category, almost in the Disastrous category.

Furthermore, this appears to validate a concern voiced often by Villages residents that the District Administrator can be at times unresponsive to the needs, concerns, and interests of some residents. Mr. Wahl did improve his rating slightly from 3.2 last year which was the lowest rating of the 20 issues or questions in that survey.

The VCCDD should attempt to improve its and Mr. Wahl’s images and raise these ratings. This would be good public relations as well as good government.

The individual local governments in the numbered CDDs and the town of Lady Lake faired better with a score of 5.0, but still in the Poor category.

The POA Survey is a valuable tool used to gauge the thoughts and opinions of Villagers. It will be a yearly feature of the POA Bulletin. Hopefully, it will identify issues that need to be addressed. Ultimately, the hope is that the insights and suggestions provided will be used to make The Villages an even better place in which to live.

Overall, the POA is pleased with the results of this survey. We are hopeful that when District Administration and the developer read these comments they will try to address some of the issues and concerns identified here. Perhaps questions like these should be included in the annual survey conducted by District Administration. The POA would be happy to assist the District in preparing the questions.

The developer’s effort to change the covenants and restrictions in Unit 1 to allow construction of a Bob Evans restaurant is moving forward, but at a slower pace, with new conditions, and with a better recognition of the concerns of local residents.

This developer’s effort started in April when Mark Morse sent a heavy-handed letter to about 600 households close to the proposed site asking for agreement on changing the covenants to allow building one or more restaurants and one or more medical buildings. If an overwhelming positive response was not received, the developer threatened to sue the residents in court to force the change. Less than 25% of residents responded.

The developer is now saying that he is willing to build a concrete block and stucco wall in the strip of land between Paradise Drive and the eastern edge of the proposed Bob Evans facility. The developer has also said that only one restaurant and one medical building are planned for the northern half of the property. The southern half would be left in a natural state for now. An entrance to the restaurant directly from the highway would relieve traffic congestion at the Wales Gate.

The developer is planning another mailing to residents describing this plan. This should be in the hands of residents by the first of June. If the developer does not receive an overwhelmingly positive response from residents, he has said that the Bob Evans restaurant will be build elsewhere close to The Villages; and the golf driving range property would be left in a natural state as it is now.

At the POA general membership meeting on May 19, many residents spoke against the restaurant in the proposed location. These residents were from both the east side and the west side and also from east side locations far away from the proposed site. This is obviously an important, and sometimes emotional, issue for many people. We will provide an update and open discussion period on this situation at the next POA general membership meeting on June 16^th at 7:00 p.m.

If a Bob Evans restaurant were proposed for a site more than a mile away from your home, but too close to the homes of nearby residents to be acceptable to them, would you still want to have the restaurant in spite of the objections of those close-by residents?

Yes, we are all here to have fun and live out our golden years. But, we are more than that – we are a community of moral people trying to do what is right.

Just a few facts emerged within the past month about the rebuilding plans for the Paradise Center. The architects are still working to incorporate the suggestions coming from the first meeting of the resident focus group. More updates should be forthcoming soon.

Best guess on timing is for a full start shortly after the new VCCDD fiscal year beginning on October 1, 2004. Construction could take the better part of a full year. The recreation division will try hard to provide alternate meeting facilities for affected clubs during the construction period.

The original idea for the auditorium building was to split the big hall into three parts: a smaller 300-seat auditorium room in the front for theatrical productions, a large meeting room in the rear, and a large kitchen in the middle.

However, there was some indication in late May that the idea of keeping the “big hall” concept was being reconsidered. More details on this concept will emerge in June when the focus group will meet for further discussions. Several dance groups and bingo operations voiced concern that their activities would be adversely affected if the three part idea for the auditorium building was used.

The auditorium building will undergo a full gut-rehab that will salvage only the concrete pad and the steel girders forming the building frame.

There will be no Cantina with a food preparation capability comparable to what was there a few years ago. Only vending machines will be located in the Cantina.

The recently-renovated Mark Twain Library will be preserved when other buildings on the south side of the Center are demolished and rebuilt. It is not certain at this point whether the second floor over the back part of the library will be salvaged. That was a center of the termite activity, and further inspection during the demolition phase will determine whether the second floor card-playing room can be saved. The new south side buildings will have several (3-4) meeting rooms and offices for the recreation director’s staff. The foundation of these buildings will be raised so as to alleviate the water and drainage problems of the past.

There will be no storage lockers. Clubs previously storing items in lockers will have to transport any needed items to the Center for meetings. Only the ceramic and pottery clubs will have some limited storage for unusually heavy items.

No change is planned for the parking lot. The pool will remain in its current location.

If you have any comments about these plans, district administration would like to hear from you. Please call either Monica Andersen or Pete Wahl at 753-4508. Or write to them at 3231 Wedgewood Lane, The Villages, FL 32162.

Jeers - To residents who put out their trash or yard clippings more than a day early for the pickup. It is not a pretty sight for neighbors to have to look at that for many days. Village guidelines say to put out material for pick-up no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the day before pickup.

Cheers - To The Villages Daily Sun for pulling the Sunday comics section recently when the Doonesbury comic strip showed a tasteless depiction of a severed head. There have to be some limits.

Jeers - To residents who put out too many lawn ornaments. A few are nice – but some residents go overboard with too many.

Cheers - To The Villages TV station for its great updates of the construction in the new Town Square in Sumter Landing. So far the new Square looks magnificent.

Jeers - To the construction company working just north of The Villages at Schwartz Blvd. for indiscriminately causing billows of field dust to cover adjacent Villages homes. They should be more careful and water down the ground when necessary.

Cheers - To Bichara Bakery/Deli for many years of wonderful food and service. Now we can find out if people on the Square will pay $3.00 for coffee when Starbucks takes over. The mystery is whether Starbucks will have two-for-one happy hours?

Cheers – To Pete Wahl for his Pete’s Place explanation of the Sumter County road maintenance reimbursement problem. Pete’s explanation was well done.

Cheers - To the golf division for opening more executive golf courses. Even during this past high season, it was easier to get reservations than in previous years. Thanks.

The Patron Program has been modified to eliminate the discount and purchase timing advantages for Villages entertainment events that most residents found so objectionable.

The program will retain the discount and purchase timing advantages previously used for the Special Speaker programs of the Lifelong Learning Center. Also retained are the discounts given to Patron members for courses in the Lifelong Learning Center.

It is satisfying to see the special favors eliminated for the entertainment events. Now the Lifelong Learning Center should eliminate the special favors for the Speaker program as well as the courses. The reasoning here is that if the special favors were a bad idea for the entertainment events, the same logic holds for the Speaker program and the courses.

Why is it so hard for the decision-making powers in The Villages to understand this concept?

The overwhelming majority of Villagers do not like the idea of special favors for an elite group of residents who can afford to make a $50.00 bribe to the Lifelong Learning Center to get special treatment. What is so difficult to understand about the objectionable aspects of this program?

Incidentally, the recently completed POA Second Annual Survey asked Villager’s opinion of this discount program (see page 1). On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best rating, the Patron Discount Program scored a dismal 2.8, the lowest score of 30 items rated.

The POA is pleased to announced the selection of Debbie and Frank Okruhlica of RE/MAX Reality as Select Sponsors of the POA.

Debbie and Frank (just call them Debbie and Frank “O”) are Villages residents and feel strongly about supporting the rights of residents here in The Villages.

As Select Sponsors, Debbie and Frank have taken out a full page RE/MAX ad in the Bulletin (see page 8) and will attend POA monthly membership meetings to provide information on real estate issues and discuss topics of interest with POA members.

One of the themes that has been voiced occasionally in the Bulletin is that the District Administrator’s column in the Thursday Daily Sun Supplement is often a mix of the worthwhile and the frivolous.

For the worthwhile material, Mr. Pete Wahl often comments on issues of interest regarding The Villages’ governments and general information related to safety, taxes, Village procedures, police matters, voting issues, etc. Many of these columns are worthwhile, informative, and well done.

However, Mr. Wahl often runs out of material and they subjects readers to irrelevant drivel that is often a waste of time to even read much less take up printed space.

A good example was a recent column on dealing with the sun. Notice some of these comments from Mr. Wahl in his April 22nd column:

“... that big, gold-colored orb that you see 10 days out of 11 in Florida is called the sun.

“Sunscreen is sold in tubes and bottles, the higher the number, i.e., SPF-15, SPF-30, SPF-50, the stronger the protection.

We urge Mr. Wahl to skip this silly and frivolous nonsense and stick to substantive material that has relevance to residents about real and serious issues here in The Villages.

If and when Mr. Wahl answers these questions, perhaps then he can tell us more about that big gold-colored orb in the sky....

We received the bulletin in the mail yesterday and understand the meeting to discuss the pending Bob Evans restaurant is coming up. I am amazed to find out the developer can CHANGE the covenants! This is unacceptable.

I feel sorry for those people who were the founding residents of the Villages. The Developer has no regard for them by placing a Bob Evans in their front yard. I understand that this is the Developer's land and they have the right to use it, but the master plan (if there ever was one) never showed commercial right in the middle of a residential area. If it was originally designed this way, then these residents could have made a choice whether to purchase property right next to commercial. What is wrong with having some green space allocated to this neighborhood by leaving the driving range as is or designating it as a park for the neighborhood? Of course this would not generate the revenue that a Bob Evans would.

If the Developer can change the covenants and restrictions at will then I think we, as residents, should also have the right to change what we don't like about the covenants. For example, how about the trash system that the Developer locks us into? We are required to pay for trash whether we are on campus or not. Why can't we have the choice to suspend service just as we do cable, telephone, utilities, etc when not in use? But, oh no!, it is in the covenants that the developer has this right to obligate us to full time trash service.

I say, let them go to court and get approval for this. I have a feeling that it may not be as easy as they are proclaiming. They want to again force us into submission by threats. I am tired of complying for their own benefit. Why should we fold by compromising with a cement wall, etc? Let's not have it at all!

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 is.... 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.

The entertainment division is starting to check for Villages ID cards at a variety of Villages activities. For now, the check is only preliminary to see how many users of any facility carry their cards. The issue is more pertinent in some facilities like the swimming pools, the tennis courts, Boccie courts, etc., where non-Villages residents have been found using the facilities in the past.

At a future point in time, residents without their Villages ID cards may be asked to leave a facility or activity.

So, the message is clear – start carrying your Villages ID cards. And, carry them to any event you go to – don’t leave them in your golf cart.