Playing Devil's Advocate here
 

With regard to the "outsiders" who do not pay amenity fees or "belong" in The Villages.......I'd like to play Devil's Advocate for a moment.......


In hindsight, whether the "outsiders" are tourists from another state, visitors from another country, or just local folks from another 55+ retirement community who chose differently for their own personal reasons (thinking differently is not inherently right nor wrong), good citizens welcome folks to their "town". Good citizens are hospitable.


Having left New Jersey in 1970 for a more rural and tranquil place to raise our family, we have put up with decades upon decades of tourists who clog our roads and our Main Street during the summer months , plus the autumn months of September and October with their huge recreational vehicles or homes away from home bus type large r.v.'s. We put up with it.


They bring in revenue to our town by eating in our restaurants, shopping in our craft shops and retail establishments and touring our museums and monuments. We are the "Gateway to Vermont" and a popular stop before they head over the mountains or north to Lake Champlain. Not only tourists stop here or weekend here, but the parents of the kids who go to our two colleges in town do visit here.


We put up with bumper to bumper backed up traffic from one end of town to the other end of town as they come in and then exit..........it's not a highway, just a narrow road with a caravan of huge R.V. buses.


Merchants and business owners are HAPPY to see all of these visitors; it dropped off a bit after 911......but a lot of the past visitors to Vermont chose to relocate here, believe it or not. We still get plenty of tourists.


Out of staters perceived us to be a safe haven following the horrors of what befell New York City and the aftermath of fear.


Many of these out of staters bought property in our Green Mountains and weekly "come down into town" and would stop in our store. We didn't tell them they "didn't belong" or that their cars were blocking parking places on Main Street that a local family might use. When my husband retired, all of these "mountain transplants from the city" brought him nice gifts and said they'd miss him. We had been city folks once ourselves as well.


We also get summer visitors. All summer long. They are also welcome; as Vermonters love to share the beauty of the Green Mountain State with all of these tourists; they bring in revenue to our small state.


In the winter time we get the rich executives with their snow bunny trophy girlfriends heading for the ski slopes.......they stop in our town to eat and shop. We also get the young ski enthusiasts from N.Y. and N.J., likewise heading for the mountains and the snowmobile trails..............


From my perspective...........it does not seem hospitable to complain so much about a handful of residents of a neighboring 55+ retirement community, of which many here have said they are actually friends of.

O.K. I do get the golf carts on the golf trails or paths.

BUT, what about all of our Vermont out of state tourists with those big oversized R.V.'s on our narrow town streets and winding mountain roads???? A lot bigger than a golf cart, I'd say.


We might gripe a bit when it's slow going trying to get from one side of town to another, but we would never become hateful nor insulting to these visitors who supply the livelihood of many in our town. Mostly, we stay "in" over the Columbus Day Weekend or other times we know they will be here enmasse..........or we find ways around the congestion.


We simply put up with it. They are really all nice people. When we had our store, all of these travelers would stop in, buy a Vermont item, ask where to go for lunch or dinner...or whatever. Our staff was always hospitable. That's the word.......hospitable.


Definition:
treating visitors well: friendly, welcoming, and generous to guests or strangers agreeable: pleasant, agreeable, and providing what somebody needs to live comfortably



p.s. Florida tourists were a large portion of our visitors; they'd come in the summer months. Not everything nor every business is air conditioned in Vermont and when we get a "heat wave" in the 90's it might last for a week.......so naturally, they'd all be complaining about the heat and humidity.........and not stating , "We didn't realize how HOT Vermont is".


Funny when I now think about it. So, it takes all kinds.


I'm sure there are many Villagers who realize that those who visit as a renter in TV do have to get a guest pass from the owner of the home they are renting.........we had one and never even used it as our home had a pool under the birdcage. So, for everyone who is abusing this "amenity" thing, there are others spending money in TV and NOT using a single ammenity.


Plus we used our automobile primarily to go everywhere as the air conditioning was more comfy to go long distances in to view the various villages, which was our main reason for staying; to see all the different villages. Only a few times did my husband (and then our son and his wife) use a golf cart path or tunnel........just around where our rental home was. All the other times we took the car to go out to a restaurant, etc......as we had the baby.


I believe in the old saying, "Live and let live".......plus be hospitable.


God only knows that Vermonters have had to be hospitable to lots of folks from away.


Plus, everyone WE MET IN THE VILLAGES DURING OUR VISIT was super hospitable.
I'd say the complainers about the golf carts from Stonecrest are in the minority.




　

I agree!!

Apples and oranges; the residents of The Villages welcome all of the surrounding subdivisions to their main, public streets, not their personal property. Did all those bucolic Vermonters turn their garages, driveways, houses over to the tourists and fleeing people? Do the tourists call Vermonters stingy, unfriendly, selfish for not sharing these items? Same thing here, most Village residents are not interested in turning over their property to the adjacent subdivisions.

I don't think that anyone has a problem with people from surrounding communities or anywhere else coming to the Villages and enjoying what we have here up to the point of the amenities that we pay for.

People do complain about the "snow birds" and the additional traffic and crowded restaurants, but I've never heard anyone say that outsiders shouldn't be at the squares, eating the restaurants or shopping in the stores here. More power to them and as you say, it injects more money into our community which is good for everyone.

The objection is to when outsiders are coming to our recreation clubs, swimming in our pools and playing on our executive golf courses.

When all of those tourists came to your town and spent all that money, you might have not liked all the extra traffic and crowds, but you put up with it because you knew that it was good for the community. But you did not let them park in your driveway or sleep in your house.

I see the rec centers, pools, exec golf courses as sort of a private property open only to the "owners". The same as your house.

Do you Vermonters welcome folks who come up with off road vehicles and drive them over your farms or other private property without gaining permission? What about hunters and fishermen: are they allowed to hunt and fish on private property without being granted access by the landowner?

It is a question of unauthorized use of private property, trespass, not access to public roads and public areas or commercial establishments.

Does not exclude, rather includes
 

Great minds think alike. Kidding aside, when I really think about it, there are plenty of beautiful states in this great United States of ours that are deemed as tourist destinations.........any smart marketing person involved in tourism or real estate does not exclude but tries to include visitors, no matter what their mode of transportation. The end result is more revenue for that particular place.



When we were teenagers and would head to the Jersey Shore on Sunday mornings, there was always traffic.......coming back north in the evening was even worse......hence the Garden State Parkway got the nickname of the "Garden State Parking Lot"........but none of the towns along the "exits" banned any of us from heading to the shore..........due to our clogging up their roads. It's a short summer season and the people who own businesses at the Jersey shore depend on visitors.


Any tourist town out west, whether in Colorado or South Dakota, Iowa, etc., Wyoming or wherever, welcomes visitors from near and far, no matter what their mode of transportation, as it brings in revenue.


Maine is a beautiful state.....it's a fact of life. It's a gorgeous state which we've explored from the mountains to the seashore, up and down the coast to New Brunswick Canada and beyond.......but those few short months of summertime, when everyone flocks to the beaches, both route one and even the Maine Pike at times.......becomes a nightmare of cars. Do they ban us? No, because they need our financial support as tourists spending money in their beautiful state.


Likewise, people coming into The Villages are there because it is so beautiful.......they will spend money which will only keep the infrastructure nourished and growing..........you put up with the "outsiders".
I would welcome them.


Just wondering if anyone from Stonecrest or Spruce Creek ever relocates to The Villages? Would they be welcomed or be considered disloyal as they originally "chose" another 55+ community before they saw the light?


We haven't seen it, except the website, but I would wager a "guestimate" that people from less populated areas up north seek out smaller communities as that is what they are used to.


I really doubt if everyone is saying, "Let's go and take advantage of TV and use all of their amenities for free."


People I know do not think that way. I certainly do not.

There is no conversation to keep Stonecresters out of the Squares and public areas of The Villages and they are welcome and would absolutely be welcome if they should decide to move here. One could look at the people of Spruce Creek South which is actually closer to Village property, they know they are welcome and they don't assume the private property of The Villages is also theirs. BTW, aren't the roads in Maine public roads?

They actually do. Funny you should ask. During fall foliage season in particular, when there is no longer any room at the inn and every motel in town is full, our chamber of commerce asks locals to open their homes and provide a room or two for visitors for the fall foliage weekend........and they do. Scouts honor.


Anyone who has ever been stranded without lodging on a busy holiday weekend can relate to above paragraph.
It only happened to us once..........we normally made reservations, but this one time we decided to head east to Maine during our own Fall Foliage Weekend in October..........traveling there, the roads over the mountains were empty.......after a nice visit in northern Maine, we decided to overnight at Bar Harbor..........driving "in" we saw too many cars driving "out". Long story, but not a single room. We stopped up and down the Maine coast and even went inland.............hours of driving....no rooms. Finally found a room in South Portland........headed back the next morning..........awful feeling to have no lodging............so again, yes, Vermonters open their homes to stranded tourists and supply a room and shower, etc.


Our merchants also draw up maps for them when they are lost or not sure where to go.......they go the "extra mile" to be hospitable. My husband has even planned their itineraries when they've never been to New England before......and it is their first visit.........they always would ask, "Where should we go? What should we see?" and he'd send them to all of our favorite haunts in Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and upstate New York.


This would be the same exact occurrence when it's graduation weekend for the local colleges and the parents and grandparents can't find a place to stay..........so yes, they do open their homes. We also open our homes to foreign exchange students.......


Everyone has been a visitor, at one time or another, in a foreign land or strange city........so being hospitable to the visitor is always welcomed.


Our daughter worked in a local crafts store/pottery when she was in high school, to save up money for her month long trip to Spain........she would often tell the story of when Susan Lucci and her husband and two kids would "shop" on their way back from skiing and how obnoxious the kids were.......but she and the rest of the sales staff had been taught to be polite and welcoming.......to all.


End of subject. I don't plan to ride a golf cart either to or from Stonecrest.....or to Walmart. That's what cars are for.

I must admit I am surprised you have entertained so many strangers in your home with Vermont's drug problems, that you mentioned earlier. It is a brave thing to do given the risks it may involve.

Yes, you are right.


Also, why would they want to use the pools, golf courses and so forth, when they have their own? Could it be they are visiting their friends and were invited? I don't know. Just wondering. Some have stated they have friends who live in S.C.


As far as vehicles, I was showing the comparison that the huge bus-like Recreational Vehicles that many retirees choose to travel in when visiting New England are extremely large in comparison to golf carts that some are complaining about.


If all the residents are so up in arms over folks from S.C. invading TV, why don't they hold some kind of public forum and express their grievances, such as Town Meeting Day? Or a smaller type meeting in a rec center.
Just like with foreign countries, once it is all expressed, perhaps they can find a common solution. Hope so.

Move to The Villages
 

Tourists, snowbirds, potential buyers, visitors in cars, YES! People who choose to live in a community with cheaper home prices and less amenities but wish to use the amenities that the residents of The Villages pay for, NO! If you want to take advantage of all The Villages has to offer, move here, don't expect to not pay for the facilities and activities and still get to use them. That includes the cart paths which are for the use of the villagers in their golf cart community.

Senior, I think you are confused; we are NOT up in arms over SC invading the TV's, we want to preserve our golf cart paths for Village residents, period.

Really?

We have never done it (opened our home to tourists via the Chamber of Commerce). I never said we did it. I said we have hosted foreign exchange students. One thing I do not have is confusion nor a problem with interpreting what someone else is trying to say. Far from it.


My husband and I were just saying that you remind us so much of our son when he joined the Debating Team in high school, along with Model Congress and Model U.N. He was a Freshman and continued on throughout high school and well into college.......


It's those three places that he learned to "debate" and argue a point to death. He would challenge us every night at dinner time, totally changing what the original thought was. I have a very laid back personality and could deal with it....thinking back now.


He continued on to excel at university and beyond........
I always thought he should have become a prosecutor.


As far as the "drug problem" in Vermont, you also took that train of thought totally out of context at the time. We are proud of our young police chief and all the drug task forces in our state who are hopefully winning the war against "STRANGERS FROM OUT OF STATE" coming up from the big cities and seeing Vermont as a soft target, trying to sell and hook the younger crowd on very dangerous drugs. What's in our favor is they stand out like a sore thumb up here...and are easy to spot, in more ways than one.


No confusion here.........if my intellect doesn't click on, my intuition will.
So, not to worry.

Stonecrest Golf Cart Access A Non Issue
 

This whole Stonecrest golf cart access thing has gotten blown out of proportion.

It has been reported that fewer than 50 people regularly cart from Stonecrest into The Villages area. I have also been told that there are actually no more than 500 carts in Stonecrest. The Villages has more than 50,000. Not much of additional wear and tear. But if there is a legal concern regarding a precedent involving liability, then that should be more important that a handful of people having their access restricted to The Villages by golf cart. They are free and welcome to drive their cars.

As far as "outsiders" using The Villages amenities, those true amenities for which we pay are not easily available to non-villagers. They cannot use the pools, golf courses and rec centers without showing ID. If they attempt to do so, they should be deterred by regular "stop and frisks".