change.org
 

this one works the best IMHO
http://www.change.org/

Here's the link to the story in yesterday's Village Voices
 

http://www.**************.com/berlin-...historic-side/


Whoops. It is called *************. The person who is writing this is Meta Minton who used to be managing editor of The Daily Sun.

Thank you, Gracie. Did you ever find out who prints the publication you linked? The Villages Voice is a publication put out by The Villages Homeowners Association.

LOL. I see your edited response now.

I am actually not working at HarborChase. However, I do know that the company was going to provide golf cart parking and charging stations and was excited to be golf cart accessible for their own residents and for those visiting. I have shared this TOTV discussion with the company so they can respond on their own behalf. They also have their own sponsorship page on TOTV where you could ask them questions and post directly. They are a very good company with strong values and a commitment to the community and very much interested in all aspects of accessibility to their property.

There is a bigger land owner by Lowe's and HarborChase who has property for sale along 441 and owns a lot of property going behind where the golf cart path was. He has been there for a long time. This may be someone you want to contact to discuss relationships with The Villages and gain any insight he may have as to the wall. I believe he would know the details or at least the politics of this issue.

I called the District Office today and the official response is..... they know nothing about the wall, had nothing to do with the wall and know of nobody to call about the wall. Did you expect anything different, people??

The best way to resolve this problem would(I think) be to create alot of press re; this issue. Contact a major news outlet who's always looking for a interesting human interest story, like this one. Because of the major PR thrust/campaign in TV to sell houses IS that they say it's The Friendliest Town in Florida & "golf cart assessible to everything " is contrary to what the CEO (Morse) has now done to all the homeowners that made him a billionaire.

that's a liberal political/campaign website - hardly appropriate for our issue, doncha think?

on-line petitons are not the best of options since it cannot be verified that those who sign are villagers...not to mention what the webmaster can glean from a petition...i would never sign same, but will send a brief note to bk if/when appropriate. hope others will, too.

I also just got off the phone with the VCDD District Administration offices: 352.753.4508. She said they don't know what is going on and it is private property. Her response to anything I asked was that it is private property. She said maybe I could call Commercial Property and when I did, guess what? The response for every question I asked was, "It is private property."

When we spoke like humans to each other, in both offices, I told them that I knew they were directed to give the response and they both said, "yes."

When I said I would imagine that someone would be concerned that someone put up a wall along TV's wall and blocked access to The Villages Regional Hospital's campus, they both said they came in cold this morning and they really don't know anything about what is going on and were told to say it is private property to anyone who calls.

but
 

I didn't mean to offend, I used it for positive value in the dance studio community, nothing political just a group of dance teachers concerned about "Dance Moms" and "Dance Moms Miami", which is owned by Disney.

The show regrettably is still on, the dancing did improve, but we did get our message to the execs using it. A lot of the ABC "stars" did come out in protest of the show, corporately directed.

It never hurts to try many ideas. One never knows which one is going to work best.

A young woman used it and got Bank of America to drop a $5 surcharge.

Just trying to be helpful :pray:

If groups of people started walking with signs in front of the sales office I guarantee there would be answers.

I think it's a pretty safe bet that the developer is the one who put up that wall. His motivation could be spite or greed. Spite because of the bad blood between him and the Harbor Chase people, or greed because he makes a lot more money selling new homes then he does from a sale in the historic side. The historic side homes are in direct competition with his new properties. If he can make properties there less attractive to perspective buyers he may sell more new ones. This may also be his reason for the closing of OBH CC restaurant and the Tiki bar.

District Office referred me to The Villages Executive Office, phone number is 753-6760. I was advised they had no knowledge of the closure, advised they would call back with the info on who closed the path.

I think the more people that call, the sooner we will find out who is responsible.

am sure you were - and glad it worked out for you! i worked too many years in the world of consumer affairs to trust much that i cannot see, touch and hear! big flag there with the info that can be retained by a political website and webmaster.

Resident meeting at the Radio station on Spanish Springs Town Square at 10 am

Unfortunately, if people started walking with signs in front of the sales office, they would be escorted away by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office and told that this is private property.

This happened to people a few years ago who were attending an event in Lake Sumter Square, but they were of the wrong persuasion.

The only place picketing could take place is along a public road, like SR44 or SR441/27.

jeff - where did you get that the developer is at odds with harbor chase?

signs affixed to golf carts driving round and round the squares would work! easier on the body and out of the sun! :) and a bunch of signs on carts parked near the trolley tour departure area would do wonders!

oh how i wish i was there. this brings back so many memories of my '60s protest days! ;)

I agree. I think they need to be flooded with calls. Polite. Civil. Courteous calls. Everyday. Not just today.

POA
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...ages/siren.gif

Any question or topic can be brought up by residents in an open "town hall" discussion period.

The Next Poa General Membership Meeting:

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

POA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Third Tuesday of the Month - 7:00 p.m.
Laurel Manor Recreation Center

I think there is a little over reaction on this issue. The affected people make it sound like now they will not be able to get to the grocery store or shop at Walmart. They can still go over the bridge and go to multiple grocery stores, Publix, etc., loads of stores like Target, Ace Hardware etc. The developer has made this a great place to live and that is why most of us have moved here, so support him. There may be other issues involved in this closing such as a liability.

called executive offices, dawn took name and number and told me she will have someone get back to me....but am not gonna hold my breath...looking forward to that call!

There is no bad blood between The Villages and HarborChase. Again, as I said before, contact the person who owns all the land in front of and aside and behind HarborChase. This is who sold the property to begin with. He owns a lot of land there-I think he is hoping to sell to someone who will put up more offices, not sure on that but you will see the for sale signs out on 441. I think this is someone who will know more than anyone else what is going on and what the politics and issues are. It is not the new assisted living who is involved, I believe they are as stunned as all of us and again, all plans included golf cart accessibility, parking and charging stations.

Politician Granddaughter Here
 

Granddaughter of a Boston politician here, I could be jaded but I am not. I am a technology integration specialist in MA (now retired). I know what is and isn't worth saving out there.

It looks like you are going to get answers this morning someone else posted about a meeting. Praying it all works out for all. I am moving to the Villages for a year to test the waters. I am not going to have a car just a golf cart, so I understand the need for all of this.

Best wishes,

Many would rather not shop at the overpriced Publix's or Target, or the "have nothing" ACE hardware...

no, johnboy, i think you have missed the point...villagers can no longer leave the villages as they have been able to do for 20 yrs...can no longer access medical offices they use...and those without car/driver's license can no longer exercise their ability to shop at locations that are not under the thumb of the developer. it's not a bad place to live...but losing our restaurant, destruction of our country club, failure to enforce covenants re property maintenance and now the wall make it a less desireable place to live.

many of the residents have been here from early on and are very established in their life patterns and habits which are slowly being eroded from under them - sorta like a sink hole that is escalating in pace. trying to make significant changes is generally difficult for those who are of an advanced age....which many of our historic side residents are.

the events on the historic side show a total lack of compassion for our residents.

I have contacted all 3 major TV stations. WESH is VERY interested in this story!

Really? I'd to hear you tell the people that work over there and don't drive that they're over reacting. Especially the ones who were at work and found this wall as they tried to return to their homes int he morning.

Or tell it to my wife who had the opportunity to go to work for another supermarket and turned it down because she just got promoted at Aldi.

I'd also like you to tell this to the people who no longer drive for whatever reason who have chosen the doctors in that medical building because they are able to get to them unassisted.

I'd like you to tell someone who does not drive and cannot get to the urgent care facility located on Villages property that has golf cart accessible for the past ten years that they are over reacting.

How about someone who has just made the decision to go into that new assisted living facility because they'd be able to visit their friends and family by going through that gate that has been there as long as they have.

The developer put in this cart gate and many of us made life decisions based on the fact that it was there.

It's pretty easy to sit there and say we're over reacting when you're not affected by it.

That's great. Watch it take off from there....:-)

Well said Dr W..it's easy for others to sit over on their 466 side and poo-poo all this. Those of us who are truly affected by this wall are the only ones who understand.

I had a urology appt this morning at 9:30 on the other side of the wall. Hubby took car to work at 6AM so guess what? I had to cancel because I can't get my golf cart there! There is no one to drive me because a) my street has emptied for the summer and b) I would never ask someone to drive me and then sit and wait an hour to drive me home or turn around and come pick me back up!

There's a perfect example of how this has inconvenienced everyone here on the north side!!

Isn't the restaurant being/going to be remodeled?

Driving on 441 yesterday and saw 2 carts driving on the grassy area in front of the businesses south of Lowe's. Wondered why. Now I know.
Aha....maybe that is the solution drive along in front of the businesses and create a new path......!!!

if someone can be found and contracted to do so! hasn't happened yet to my knowledge. tiki bar is still gone, too - no place to get a libation after golf!

...

Is the CC restaurant now going to be closed?

I was at the Lady Lake Building Commission office at 9:15, The Building Commissioner had already been to the site. There is a problem as to exactly where the wall is built, it could be right on the county line. He told me there was no permit issued by his office and he is going to contact his counterpart in Sumter County. They are not happy about this.

It really bothers me the WAY the action of erecting this wall was done. It shows me alot of the heart/motives of the one that made that decision that created such a hardship to so many senior citizens. This could have been avoided if there was a posting on the wall of a notice to those approaching the wall and that have been using the path for years. An explanation of the reasons WHY, any plan B in the works for the residents, with a contact number and signature of the poster.

let's just say no one is in a hurry to open it.

thank you jeffavews!

Thats different than "losing it". Want to know since I visit that restaurant too.