[army one]

If the gates were put were they belong instead of on the thru streets this wouldn't be a problem. Rhyme, reason, and common sense has not and continues not to be used when deciding gate locations. They were installed in places to be visible and give the impression of security and to try to slow down traffic. The proper locations would be at the entrances of streets that are only one way in to a community and the same way out. Poor planning, after the mistake was made it has continued on throughout TV.

[chacam]

Talley Ridge is a thru street. Are you saying that there should be gates at all the side streets? That would be 25 gates. Or Southern Trace, another 18 gates.

[villager99]

weren't some of the gate changes made so fema would come into the villages should we experience another tornado or other distaster? i think this point has been previously discussed. search for FEMA to read older threads on this topic

[rshoffer]

There is a gated village in TV. It has a peculiar name.... think it's Hickory Hammock or something like that. Your gate cards will NOT work there. It's sort of the VIP Village. Wonder if that troubles the IRS

[katezbox]

Originally Posted by REH7380

I believe one of the charges being uses by the IRS against The Villages is that it is not truly an open community as it is gated. Of course The Villages indicated that although there are gates no one is denied access, etc. If the gates were removed that may be a way of removing one IRS issue? In the latest POA Mag. they have a summary of the IRS case so it may be worthwhile to pick up a copy.

REH,

I did not recall being gated or not as a part of the IRS's case. I reviewed the summary in the POA newsletter and could not find a reference to this. Could you cite your source?

There is a gated village in TV. It has a peculiar name.... think it's Hickory Hammock or something like that. Your gate cards will NOT work there. It's sort of the VIP Village. Wonder if that troubles the IRS

RSH

Can we speculate based on fact as opposed to unsubstantiated opinion?

[Ohiogirl]

Seems to me that the gates do one thing well - slow down cars to keep the roadways safer for golf cart crossings. I don't think they should be taken down for just that reason.

I also think that the Villages is so big, and there are so many deliveries and service vehicles coming in and out that traffic would be slowed to a crawl if we had truly gated communities. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the crime rate really really low?

Originally Posted by army one

Security here is a joke. Yes they have cameras, but they leave the quality of security to us. It is up to us to report anything suspicious. Anyone can get anywhere in the villages. If you don't want to be noticed all you have to do is push the button and turn your face away from the camera. If you have a common car and cover you license plate, the chances of you being identified is little to none. Kind of funny, the car wash I used up north had an ID system installed it on my car's windshield (stick on). When I pulled up to the gate it identified who I was, what kind of car I was driving, what credit card I was going to use and the type of car wash I normally used. If I wanted my normal car wash (they had many different levels) I just pulled ahead thru the gate area and my car was taken care of and my credit card was charged. If a one location car wash can afford to do that for every regular customer the cost could not be a major factor. Apparently the powers to be are not sure what is wanted, security or convenience. My vote is for security.

I like the idea of a free car wash every time you go through the gates.

[joannej]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

One of my friends is a gate guard and his main job is to give directions to the lost and the delivery people.

___________________________
I got lost in TV and was given excellent directions by a gate guard.

[otherbruddaDarrell]

The gates are not manned by security guards or gate guards. They are manned by gate attendants. We (I am a sub.) give directions to people and try to make sure the traffic flows without mishap.
Keep in mind that these are roads paid with county funds and you can't stop people from using public roads. We can slow them down and give directions.
If we were a "gated" community the price of maintaining the roads would be on the residents and that would cause our fees to be very high. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Army Guy]

Depending how much I would pay for it to be totally private and gated.

Army Guy

[otherbruddaDarrell]

I was a security-police officer (shift commander/patrol sgt.) for a private gated community of 10,000 people in NW Indiana. (Lakes of The Four Seasons, Crown Point, In.)They have 1 golf course, 1 clubhouse and 1 pool. The poa dues are about what we pay in our amenity fees, but you had to pay a membership fee to play golf (several hundred) pay a fee to use the pool, a fee to have use your golf cart, a fee to use your boat and a fee for a boat slip.
All maintenance on roads, clubhouse etc. is paid for by the homeowners. Also you would get pulled over for speeding and if you did not pay the ticket fines it could be charged against your home. After giving out several thousand tickets for traffic and ordinance violations I decided that when I retired it would be someplace like TV instead of a full gated community.
Like you, I am concerned about security and the fact that anyone can come in. This is another reason we like the Villas.....1 way in and 1 way out and the neighbors watch out for each other like family.

In your response in the TOTV you asked the following question and I thought I would give you a reference point:

"I did not recall being gated or not as a part of the IRS's case. I reviewed the summary in the POA newsletter and could not find a reference to this. Could you cite your source?"

On Page 13 of the IRS response to Mr.Charles H.Smity there are references to The Villages being a gated community with 27 tax exampt bond gates. and goes into some detail regarding The Villages being gated, etc.

[katezbox]

Originally Posted by REH7380

In your response in the TOTV you asked the following question and I thought I would give you a reference point:

"I did not recall being gated or not as a part of the IRS's case. I reviewed the summary in the POA newsletter and could not find a reference to this. Could you cite your source?"

On Page 13 of the IRS response to Mr.Charles H.Smity there are references to The Villages being a gated community with 27 tax exampt bond gates. and goes into some detail regarding The Villages being gated, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I will look into it.

k