Quote:
Originally Posted by downeaster
The selfish practice of reserving chairs and tables at the squares could lead to conflicts. The conflicts could reach a level requiring intervention by law enforcement. At that point we could see the media (read a certain "investigative" reporter on an out of town newspaper). This could ultimately lead to a "black eye" for The Villages.
I would hope the recreation department will rethink their practice and possibly stop supplying tables at special events. I don't see how they could police the use of tables without causing more conflicts.
The rec dept is in a lose/lose situation. If they stop the practice they make a lot of people unhappy as well as admit we may not be the friendliest hometown. If they continue the practice the events will be dominated by selfish individuals as a lot of people may elect to not attend. Some of those who do attend may choose to occupy seats that have been "reserved". That is when the conflict will rear its ugly head.
It is a shame there are so many people willing to spoil a good thing.
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I think the simplest solution would be to post signs saying that reserving tables/chairs is not allowed. It wouldn't take long for people to figure out that going down to the square at 7 am and tipping chairs and depositing bags was a waste of time. Confrontations and "reserve" claims could be easily diffused by pointing to the posted signage.