[jeffy]

Originally Posted by downeaster

Been here eight years.
Never got the finger.
Never been yelled at that I know of.

I agree with you downeaster. I am not sure where these people are living/visiting in TV that they have all these problems with rude people. I generally have more negative dealings in a one day visit to Maryland than I do in several months here in TV. Yes , you will find rude people everywhere but my experience in TV is they are a vast minority.

jeffy

[NJblue]

I'm sure my fee and the snowbird fees would be quite abit less than all those that use the golf courses here.

That is an excellent point. Year around residents who are regular users of the executive courses really are getting their money's worth.

[bestmickey]

Originally Posted by dillywho

These are the kind of people they are going after......they are cheats and we are paying for them! Unfortunately, we have some residents dumb enough to help them accomplish cheating; they are the abusers by their help.

The above quote was in reference to someone who used to own a home in TV, sold it and moved out of TV, but nearby. He reportedly kept his Villages ID and uses it almost daily at Katie Belle's (and likeley elsewhere within TV). Surely if so many people know who this character is, then the person at the door of Katie Belle's (or a bouncer if the club has one) should be directed to confiscate his ID card. After all, isn't the person at the door an employee of The Villages?

[dillywho]

Originally Posted by Raintree07

My son and his family are eligible for the In Area Pass. They live and work in the local area. His son attends college in the area. They have been here over a year now, and the only ammenity they have used ,to date, is the pool and only about 5 times. I do not golf and the only ammenity I have used is the pool. The In Area Passes are issued for 365 days, I doubt they are being used that much because most of the children holding these passes are working or attending school for most of the day. Someone else living here might have several children visting from out of area with no restriction on having to be with them using up much more time using the facilities, ( You can only get a 30 day pass for them but it is my understanding that you can just go renew it over and over again). I have attended some of these focus meetings and have heard some of the members state the biggest problem with the passes are where the Villigers themselves apply for passes for their friends that live close by and use a false address for them. What about all the people that oppose the in area passes for the children of residents and then petition for more Dog Parks in the Villages. Are these parks being paid for by our ammenity fees? If we truly want equality then let the ammenity fees for everything be based on usage. I'm sure my fee and the snowbird fees would be quite abit less than all those that use the golf courses here.

The ammenity fees cover much more than golf, although golf seems to be the thorn in most sides. We don't use many of the ammenities and do golf some, but not as much as those doing all the complaining. We have been to the pools probably less than a dozen times in the 5+ years we've been here.

You can get the out-of-area pass renewed for those over the age of 19 every 30 days, but younger ones are limited to 30 days per year visits and must always be accompanied by someone over 19 when using any of the ammenities. You're right, as I said before, most of the in-area ones spend very little time here because they have other things to do besides hang with granma and granpa, unlike we used to do. Most of this came about, not because of those families, but because of the residents who are circumventing the system for their friends.

I'm not sure how the dog parks are funded, but I would think that it would be part of what the bond monies are for. That's just a guess on my part. As for it being part of the ammenities, so long as they are not open to the public, I have no problem with that. Some play with dogs and don't golf. I don't do dog parks, but do golf some.

Much of this has been blown out of proportion, anyway. We are not overrun with guests, either in-area or out. Anyone who owns property in TV pays for the ammenities whether they choose or are able to use them or not. This is the reason we have nice places to take our guests when they do visit. As for paying, guests do pay a green fee + trail fee to play golf whether it is one of the championship courses or an executive course. Only the residents play the executive courses for free and even they pay a trail fee, either: each time they play, annually, or through the priority membership fee if they bought that to play the championship courses or participate in their tournaments.

[dillywho]

Originally Posted by bestmickey

Surely if so many people know who this character is, then the person at the door of Katie Belle's (or a bouncer if the club has one) should be directed to confiscate his ID card. After all, isn't the person at the door an employee of The Villages?

I really don't know who the person on the door works for, but I bet TV administration could tell you. I agree.....someone needs to confiscate it. Problem with Katie Belle's is (which works in his favor) that they don't scan the cards. They just look to see if you have one or a guest pass. My guess is, he can't get it past a scanner so he just goes where he won't get it scanned. I think they are deactivated when the property changes hands (don't know for sure, but makes sense).

[bestmickey]

As a future resident, I just want to share my opinion. No, I would not like to have my amenities used by those who do not financially support the amenities.

On the other hand, I would very much like to have my sister visit me for two or three months during the winter season. After all, I expect to visit her for two or three months during the summer months. OK, I previously said I don't want want anyone using the amenities who don't financially support the amenities. How do I suggest we resolve this then? Well, she is my "blood", so I think she should be allowed to stay with me for a couple months. And, I'd like her to be able to golf with me (neither of us would be using the pools). So, I propose that she be required to pay a ~$100 or $150 per month fee to support her use of the amenities for the period she stays with me.

As for more info to support why I feel this way .... I am single and will be living alone. Yet, I have to pay the same monthly amenities fee as those households who have two or more residents. An example, I know a couple who has two adult sons living with them. In this example, there are four residents of the household; yet again, I pay the same monthly amenities fee as this household. How is this fair? They have two golf carts yet only one is registered as having paid the trail fee (or whatever that's called). Yet, they use both carts on the courses. Again, how is this fair?

I don't mean to open pandora's box with all this, although I expect it will. It's just kinda ridiculous to think that I can't have my sister with me during the winter and be able to use the executive golf courses together. I wish there were more that could be done to accommodate such instances. Heck, to keep it to legitimate immediate family, require that we each show our birth certificate before you provide her with her ID card, to prove that we share the same parents. By the way, it's obvious that the definition currently used as "family" (son/daughter, grandson/grandaughter) would need to be revised. Not all of us in life chose to have children .... and some of us weren't physically able to have children.

IMHO, more needs to be done for the equality of the single residents of The Villages!

[dillywho]

Originally Posted by bestmickey

As a future resident, I just want to share my opinion. No, I would not like to have my amenities used by those who do not financially support the amenities.

On the other hand, I would very much like to have my sister visit me for two or three months during the winter season. After all, I expect to visit her for two or three months during the summer months. OK, I previously said I don't want want anyone using the amenities who don't financially support the amenities. How do I suggest we resolve this then? Well, she is my "blood", so I think she should be allowed to stay with me for a couple months. And, I'd like her to be able to golf with me (neither of us would be using the pools). So, I propose that she be required to pay a ~$100 or $150 per month fee to support her use of the amenities for the period she stays with me.

As for more info to support why I feel this way .... I am single and will be living alone. Yet, I have to pay the same monthly amenities fee as those households who have two or more residents. An example, I know a couple who has two adult sons living with them. In this example, there are four residents of the household; yet again, I pay the same monthly amenities fee as this household. How is this fair? They have two golf carts yet only one is registered as having paid the trail fee (or whatever that's called). Yet, they use both carts on the courses. Again, how is this fair?

I don't mean to open pandora's box with all this, although I expect it will. It's just kinda ridiculous to think that I can't have my sister with me during the winter and be able to use the executive golf courses together. I wish there were more that could be done to accommodate such instances. Heck, to keep it to legitimate immediate family, require that we each show our birth certificate before you provide her with her ID card, to prove that we share the same parents. By the way, it's obvious that the definition currently used as "family" (son/daughter, grandson/grandaughter) would need to be revised. Not all of us in life chose to have children .... and some of us weren't physically able to have children.

IMHO, more needs to be done for the equality of the single residents of The Villages!

If your sister does not live in Sumter, Marion, or Lake counties then there is no problem. You can get her a guest pass renewable every 30 days (assuming she is over 19). When she plays golf with you (or without you if she is over 19), she will have to pay a green fee + a trail fee each time she plays.

[musicman]

Originally Posted by Peggy D

Just curious, why would a 40-something rent a home in a retirement community? I am not one of these "blow-hards" and I wouldn't go as far to say you don't belong here, but isn't there somplace close to The Villages that would be more suited to your age group?

As stated in my message, we didn't know the area so were uncomfortable buying right away. The apartments that were available were tiny. There weren't nearly as many as there are today. Many homes in TV are available for long-term rent. We felt it best to learn what the area had to offer before buying. Sure would hate to be in the situation that those folks that bought near the RR tracks are in because we rushed to buy. Besides, what difference should it make if I'm 40-something?? This is Florida's Friendliest Hometown! I make my friends based on their personality, not age. Some of my greatest friendships are with folks that are old enough to be my parents. There are a lot of great experiences and wisdom to be found there. I also have friends that are young enough to be my children. They help me feel that I'm in tune with what the "younger generation" finds important. So, I don't really feel I fit into an "age group". Apparently, my neighbors felt I did.

[musicman]

Barefoot,

You stated "...residents who use the multi modal recreational trails, and think they exist soley for golf carts..." To be clear, my near misses with carts have occured when I am on the sidewalk that borders the parking area behind Red Sauce. These are not multi modal paths! They are sidewalks for pedestrian traffic. But, I know that on the multi modal paths cart drivers tend to behave as if everyone else should travel elsewhere.

[Muncle]

To a couple folks:

Dilly -- thank you first and foremost for volunteering to participate in the panel/work group trying to hash out the pass issues. It could not have been easy and had little reward other than a feeling of giving a bit back to the community that is TV. And thank you for coming into this forum and this thread to provide some needed facts into what often becomes nebulous discussion. Very well done.

To the two "younger" posters, thanx for your input. I was put off a bit at first by what I felt was overly sensitive reaction on your part and an all too common animosity of the local young toward the older villagers. We see it in many restaurant discussions and while it may have some merit, I for one am sick of hearing about it. BUT -- I was wrong. In your follow-up posts, you both more fully explained your situations and even I could empathize with your concerns. And thank you to the several posters who quickly jumped in to declare these negative people you encountered to be Villages anomalies, certainly not representative of America's Friendliest Hometown.

And finally to those who see this as some kind of sell-out by the ACC to the developers (Boo, hiss, evil personified, the devil incarnate, Bernie Madoff's cruel older brother, Hitler & Stalin without their redeeming charm), huh? Seems like the ACC did what they were conceived and elected to do. Maybe I missed something and there were some extortions, bribes, threats, maybe a child kidnapping or two that I pulled a Charlie Gibson on, but I didn't see any big issue here. The board convened a work group to study the issue. The group offered proposals. The board tentatively approved one proposal. The legal staff advised against that proposal. Sounds okay. Maybe legal should have looked at the proposals earlier, but no big deal.





`

[dillywho]

Thanks for the kind words. We did work very hard on this and we were all volunteers from all over TV, not elected or appointees. Like the ACC, we are all residents here. Did we all agree? Absolutely not, but we came up with what we felt would serve most all residents well while protecting our investments. On the points of contention, we voted. Like any other endeavour, there will never be 100% agreement. (Even marriage and raising families works that way, huh?)

[katezbox]

Originally Posted by dillywho

Thanks for the kind words. We did work very hard on this and we were all volunteers from all over TV, not elected or appointees. Like the ACC, we are all residents here. Did we all agree? Absolutely not, but we came up with what we felt would serve most all residents well while protecting our investments. On the points of contention, we voted. Like any other endeavour, there will never be 100% agreement. (Even marriage and raising families works that way, huh?)

Muncle - shame on you - once again being the voice of reason.

Dilly - While I thanked you previously for your clarifications - and helping me see straight - thanks again for your hard work. I have been on committees of a similar sort - and the work is never easy.

Kate

[Peggy D]

Originally Posted by musicman

As stated in my message, we didn't know the area so were uncomfortable buying right away. The apartments that were available were tiny. There weren't nearly as many as there are today. Many homes in TV are available for long-term rent. We felt it best to learn what the area had to offer before buying. Sure would hate to be in the situation that those folks that bought near the RR tracks are in because we rushed to buy. Besides, what difference should it make if I'm 40-something?? This is Florida's Friendliest Hometown! I make my friends based on their personality, not age. Some of my greatest friendships are with folks that are old enough to be my parents. There are a lot of great experiences and wisdom to be found there. I also have friends that are young enough to be my children. They help me feel that I'm in tune with what the "younger generation" finds important. So, I don't really feel I fit into an "age group". Apparently, my neighbors felt I did.

Musicman,

First off, thank you for answering in a civil manner. I was taught a question deserves an answer--not a bashing.
The point I was trying to make was as a renter, you have a choice to stay or leave the area. So does a homeowner for that matter, but it is alittle more complacated. That doesn't mean that I felt you're not welcomed here.
I have heard horror stories of rabid Villagers that would knock your socks off!
So, please stay and ignore those idiots--maybe they will be the ones that move out!