I took the time to attend the PWAC (Project-Wide Advisory Committee) meeting yesterday morning due to the critical nature of the Colony Blvd. traffic problem to all of us who frequent that area. Janet Tutt was there. She said that Colony Blvd has a special status that makes it not quite a publicly owned street--it's essentially the responsibility of The Villages district government. As such, if Colony were completely closed off to car traffic, The Villages district government would be financially and legally liable for all costs to the impacted businesses for blocked car traffic to businesses and to Sumter Co for overflow traffic re-routed onto the publicly owned streets (e.g. 466A). For this reason, the PWAC board chose the more fiscally reasonable option to approve installation of a traffic light.
In addition, Janet said the Morse family is amenable to re-looking at the problem again in the future, if the traffic signal light solution proves inadequate to manage traffic flow upon completion of the districts that have not yet been built (district 10 and the new Fruitland Park Village, recently approved).
I think the PWAC has done a fantastic job of exploring the options, getting expert traffic and civil engineering advice, and seeking Villager input. I also applaud the PWAC board for acting promptly to implement a temporary solution, namely hiring Community Watch to direct traffic, just as the danger on Colony Blvd began to increase manifold with the influx of snowbirds. The members of the PWAC have worked cooperatively with the Morse family and it's representatives to provide for our safety. I think they greatly deserve our appreciation and gratitude.
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