[K9-Lovers]

I agree that the PALMS group has a narrow focus. The seating in Church on the Square could be elevated along with other renovations and additions for needed dressing rooms, etc. Having experience with booking national talent, I know that those entertainers will want to appear in larger markets. They will bypass The Villages for dates in Orlando, Tampa, etc. The bigger the venue, the more income for them, because they usually ask for a percentage. And yes, the riders alone can be very expensive to fulfill.

Unless the PALMS group has already identified a large donor, or already has the municipal goverments of the three counties on board with a multi-year substantial pledge, the large facility they are hoping to build has little hope of becoming financially successful.

We used to live in a very large MSA, and had a volunteer group attempting to create PAC similar to what the PALMS group is proposing. After failing to garner the funding, they opted for a smaller facility, which then became quite successful. Unfortunately, their reply to Mr. Morse did not leave any doors open for further discussion.