Security and Gates
 

We moved here from a gated community in another state and became used to having a guard at the entrance who upon asking the visitor's name either opened the gate/barrier or denied access. The latter when the resident being visited so requested.

Here is The Villages, there are gates galore; it seems every village has one, whether with a guard or without. However, access is really a big joke, since all the "visitor" to an unguarded village has to do is press a button by the gate, thus lifting the barrier.

My question thus is: How can a villager control who comes to "visit"?

The short answer to Cateca's question is "Your Front Door!". To really control visitors you either open or do not open the door to them. You have no control over them getting into your village or onto your street though, unless you have a Restraining Order ordering them not to come within "X" number of feet of you. If they violate the RO, call the police.

I must admit, when we first visited TV with our daughter in October of 2003 we had lunch in Spanish Springs and then decided to "drive thru some neighborhoods". When we came to the first gate, we assumed that the whole community was gated and we turned around and went back to Spanish Springs and walked around there. The gate did act as a deterent for us and I bet they do for some people who don't know all you have to do is push a button to open a gate up!!

That is pretty much how it is.

This bothers some people and not others.

I am one that it doesn't bother.

And then the fight begins and there will be conversations about guns and all that stuff.

I am not waiting around for it. I am going to pick all of the dirt outa those litte grooves in my irons just in case it doesn't rain today and we get to play golf. Does anyone know why they put little grooves in irons? You pay a lot of money for them so it must interact with the dimples on the ball somehow.

I had a birdie last week. Maybe the old game is coming back.

Maybe it isn't.

Now back to gates.

I suspect that without the gates we would see many more contacts between cars and carts. If nothing else they slow down the movements around contact points. One of the big draws in TV is the allure of travel in a cart and some efforts to improve safety is appreciated, at least by me. I am just surprised that the counties will allow installation and management of the gates by a local community on public roads.:gc:

They do serve as a deterent.....but not certain it is the bad guys!

It may be a few years down the road but I think how gates are manned will be an issue once the homeowners take control of their own budget...and realize that it costs over $1.4 million a year (Per the Village Sun) to man and maintain these gates. In the meantime they serve the purpose for the developer to provide a ""guise" of a gated community and a "sense of security" to all visitors and future Villagers.

I suppose when the place was first built there was a gate for security but as it grew the gates were placed as a way to slow people down. The men there are for direction to newcomers and as a "friendly" way to greet us all.

I don't think that in the selling of this place there was anything said about it being a "secured" place. It was never mentioned to us at any stage of our moving here. We all just need to be prudent in our lives as in living anywhere in this world. I do appreciate the "Village Watch" people. We inadvertently have left our garage door open at night and have received a call both times checking on us. If thieves really wanted to get into a place they could w/o much effort in any case I think. Wouldn't matter if we had secure gates or not. I remember reading about a group of teens in CA who made it their goal to get into famous people's places and stealing personal items and had done so for a long period of time w/o being caught. I would think these celeberties would have had "secure" places

I feel pretty secure here. I think most people do. If its 2am and you are out walking,would you feel a little better here or lets say in Wildwood.

What's wrong with Wildwood?

Did you realize this "big joke" before or after you bought here?

Wildwood? If you do not know whats wrong with wildwood at 2 am, I think you better sit down and its time for a talk.

all of Wildwood?

It's time to get your meds adjusted, my friend............. :1rotfl:

Bill :)

Wildwood
 

I am not sure, What do you think?Maybe you can start out walking 466a to 301 at 2am.I am sure you would be able to tell me.

Just wondering what you meant by your statement. There are probably residents of Wildwood who would be offended by your generalization.

I'm a resident of the Villages and I am offended by paulandjean's remark.

When visiting TV for the first time last year, and I wanted to go to a open house, if a gate was manned, most of the gate staff just waved me in -- very friendly I thought. A couple of the gate staff asked if I was visiting a resident, and I told them I was going to an open house on ______ Street, and then they let me in. On the unmanned gates, I had heard about the pushing the button, which I did, then I was on my way to the open house.

Now that it it looks like I will be renting a patio villa in the Village of Chatham for a week this July, I will have to find out from the owner if using my guest pass will be enought to get me in -- I don't know which gate entrance the rental house is closest to so I don't know if that gate is manned or unmanned. Can't wait for July to arrive! :2excited:

Gates
 

The gates are a charade. It occurred to me that the sales people remained mute concerning whether TV was a gated community which meant that many propspective buyers were left with the impression that it was. I prefer a gated community but it will never happen here.

Do not be offended,Just common sense. I feel safer here at 2am then in Wildwood, Clevland, or Detroit for that matter.You do not like my remarks fine. Do not be so sensitive. Just the facts thats all.

I moved here Feb 2002 and at that time none of the gates had pushbuttons to enter; one needed a passcard, or enter at a gate where there was a person attending the entry.

I don't recall just when the gates became unmanned with pushbuttons, however I vaguely recall that the county ordinances enforced their roads to not be locked, thus the pushbuttons. County roads in TV are not owned by TV; each county owns and maintains these roads.

What facts are you referring to?

Originally this was a gated community. However the streets, with a few exceptions, are county owned and maintained. therefore the county said they must be accessible to all as they are maintained by taxpayers' money. The county agreed to letting the gates stay as long as there were provisions for general accessibility. The addition of the "little red button" satisfied them.

It would have been foolhardy to do away with the gates. As someone has pointed out, it would have created dangerous crossings for golf carts and golf carts are a big factor here.

Are they a deterrent to criminal activity? Probably not but some might argue otherwise. In fact, some studies have shown little or no difference in crime in gated communities and non gated. Crime generally follows money and gated communities are perceived as wealthy communities.

If they belong to the county how come we maintain the roadsides? Because we want them to be attractive. I believe the county credits The Villages the amount the county would normally spend on roadside maintenance.

I have lived here going on ten years and I don't ever remember The Villages claiming to be a gated community. However, I can understand why some might think otherwise. After all, some gates are manned and most have gatehouses. A prospective buyer might draw the wrong conclusion and be upset after the purchase and finding we are not a real gated community.

I think The Villages is a safe community. Not because of gates but because of the people who live here. We are a pretty decent bunch and we look out for each other.

Thanks, downeaster, that's the best explanation I've heard. I've lived here for a year and a half and visited relatives here frequently for a year or two before that and I always wondered how a private entity could obstruct traffic on a public road. I hadn't considered the golf cart crossing factor, but I knew from the start the gates had little to do with security. As I've heard it said, "it's not a gated community - it's a community with gates". I can take care of my own security...

I have "owned" a home here since 2005. I can say that I was lead to believe that it was a gated community from Realtor working for TV. It was only after the purchase did I realize that the roads belong to and are maintained by the County. I would like to see it someday be a gated community.

I do not think we can afford to buy back all the roads from the county, or why would we want to.

:shocked:LITTLE RED BUTTON????????? Why didn't I know that on our lifestyle visit when I had to walk back to our villa to get the pass in a pouring rain???? Darn!!!!

I hope I never become so paranoid that I must have a gate into my neighborhood. I have lived in the city of Detroit and many of it's suburbs and have never felt the need to be 'gated'. If someone wants to get into an area, they will find a way, with or without gates. One advantage of the gates in TV is that it forces people to slow down, no whipping around the corner into the sub. Personally I like the gates in the villages, I think they are kind of cool....I just don't ever, ever want to have to depend upon gates or fences or guards for my safety. What would be next? Barbed wire? If that's the case, I might as well be living in a prison. Remember....There is nothing to fear but fear itself.

I think you are one smart person.

There is a hug waiting for you.

When we went to TV in July and came on the gate we turned around too... Hubby mentioned to me about the "red button." Sooooo being the rebel I am I urged him to push it! Of curers he wouldn't, so I made him stop the car, I got out and pushed the button when the gate opened he drove through it and I then ran to the car giggling. I felt like Bonnie and Clyde! :a040:

Whew.... think anyone saw us????

We also thought it was a gated community when we purchased in 2007. But I feel that the current system works just fine. I feel perfectly safe and will take a walk at any time of day or night.

I wouldn't want the additional expense on my Amenity Bill of maintaining the roads now owned by the County.

Thank you Gracie...and I will be there to collect the hug as soon as I can!

Trish:)

Looks like we are gated
 

I agree with Bare. When we bought here, none of us (my friends) knew the roads were owned by the county(many still don't). We all thought this place was gated.
Also, we were told to guard those gate passes and how much we would have to pay if we lost one. It was just a given we would have to replace it in order to get around the Villages.
The same secret is being kept today. We have had quite a few friends come here on a Lifestyle (even some just last month) and they all think this is a gated community even after the tours by the Village realtors. The realtors always use the gate cards.
The gates are deceiving. Why have a gate if everyone can come in? I bet we are the only "gated" community that the roads are owned by the county and everyone can use all the roads any time of day or night.

Wildwood et. al.
 

Several years ago when our daughters were high school age my husband and I sacrificed in order to send them to private catholic academies just outside of Philadelphia where we lived. We honestly believed they would get a better education in a suburban school district. We found that the girls from the burbs were very wary of our kids. They had preconceived ideas of "city girls" that were very hard to overcome. Needless to say my children had a hard way to go. They had to deal with stereotypes on a daily basis.

Having said that it should also be noted that Holland Pennsylvania does in no way have the crime that Philadelphia has or had. Given the choice of walking at 2am in Holland or 2am anywhere in Philadelphia, I would have to say I would prefer to be in Holland . . . it is no reflection on the people who live in Philly. It is more a statement of a few bad apples making it hard for the whole bunch. You never hear about the people who make life better for others, the bad apples get all the attention. That's the rub!

We are not a `gated` community...we are a community with gates...

Well said.....thanks! I hope one day to get to meet you.
Suzanne

Thank you Suzanne...I'm looking forward to meeting you too (hopefully in the near future!! )

The first time I visited TV last year I was told about the "little red button." When I went to open houses in different villages during my visit this past July, I always told the person at the gate "I'm going to an open house on _________ street."

I always appreciated the friendly greeting of the person manning the gate in the Village of Chatham where I rented in July. I felt like I was coming "home" even though I knew I would only be there for one week. I hope the Village of Sabal Chase has friendly gate people when I rent in October.

You wild people live on the edge!!! :laugh:

Polo Ridge has a gate so I am living in a "gated community". The idea of going through the postal boxes area and get right in doesn't mean bad guys will do that too.....
The gates do slow folks down which is a good thing

Are there cameras at the gates or elsewhere? They sometimes deter but mostly show "who dun it". IMHO