[TheVillageChicken]

Stone Crest lobbies for golf cart access. Director of Community Relations for The Villages refuses to meet with their attack dog.

[Cisco Kid]

Here we go

[DonH57]

For what purpose would they meet? Did people not listen the first around about it. Open and shut.

[njbchbum]

link kicks me out - alturl.com not working for my computer! would love to read about it but that's not gonna happen.

So I went to read the article in the on-line news! “It would seem an organization would want to bend over backwards to help veterans whether they want medical treatment or just to go shopping,” Oelrich said. Makes me wonder why the Stonecrest organization is not willing to help their residents who are veterans! Maybe the former senator should check with Stonecrest first!

[DougB]

June 2, 2014 By Meta Minton 1 Comment

The card-access gate off Paradise Drive in The Villages.
More than 50 people, many of them veterans, attended a meeting Monday afternoon at Stonecrest trying to find a way to gain golf cart access to The Villages.
Last summer, a wall abruptly went up on the Historic Side blocking a well-traveled golf cart path allowing residents to have access to Wal-Mart and Lowes, outside The Villages. Residents rebelled and within a week, the wall came down. The wall was later replaced by a card-access gate. The gate allows Villlagers in and out, but Stonecresters and others are kept out of The Villages.
Steve Oelrich, a former Republican state senator, has gotten involved with the group to help find a solution.
Oelrich said in particular he got involved because he wants to ensure veterans access to medical care, including the VA Outpatient Clinic on County Road 42 in The Villages
Oelrich said he tried to set up a meeting with Gary Lester, vice president of community relations for The Villages.
He quoted Lester as saying there was no point in setting up a meeting. He said that Lester said that non-Villages residents were not going to be granted access to Villages amenities.
“‘It’s not just no,’” Oelrich quoted Lester as saying. “‘It’s hell no.’”
Oelrich said he was puzzled by the response.
“It would seem an organization would want to bend over backwards to help veterans whether they want medical treatment or just to go shopping,” Oelrich said.
He said he has talked to Marion County Sheriff Chris Blair who has indicated he will gather facts about the situation and will approach Villages developer Gary Morse about a possible resolution.
The sheriff sent Lt. Louis Pulford to act as his observer at the meeting. Stonecresters said that in addition to medical appointments, they want to access restaurants and shopping opportunities in The Villages. Those opportunities are accessible by automobile, but not by golf cart.
“To me it doesn’t pass the straight-face test,” Oelrich said. “It seems like The Villages is trying to promote a ‘them versus us’ mentality.”
He pledged to continue working with his contacts in the state legislature and elsewhere to resolve the issue.
He also collected names and contact information to continue the dialogue on this topic.

[travelguy]

cant you just push the button and the gate opens? remember, we are a community with ates, not a gated community. there are gates on morse blvd and anyone can go thru, and the golf carts can go around the gates....anyone can get through!

[DonH57]

Originally Posted by travelguy

cant you just push the button and the gate opens? remember, we are a community with ates, not a gated community. there are gates oth heren morse blvd and anyone can go thru, and the golf carts can go around the gates....anyone can get through!

No push button on the gate in guestion because there is no public street traffic. The gate is located on private property. If it was an auto traffic gate it would have a button.

[VT2TV]

I am sure that every one of the residents from Stonecrest who needs to go to the VA for health care has a car that they can use to go to the VA. If not, I feel sure they have friends at Stonecrest who would be more than happy to drive them to the VA. Or maybe that Senator who is so very concerned with the Veterans getting to the VA would be happy to take them. How in the world can Stonecrest even try to justify using our multimodal pathways when the have a gated community???????
My husband is a Veteran, and I do hope that the people who need health care at the VA are able to get the care, but I can not for any reason think that the gates to the multimodal pathways are preventing them from getting there. What have they done for the past 3 or 4 years????? Or however long the VA has been there. The residents from Stonecrest just keep trying to stir the pot. They knew when they moved to Stonecrest that they would not have access to the Villages multimodal paths. They made the choice to move there. If they want to have the same priviledges of TV, they certainly have the right to sell their place there and move here. Then they can pay the same bonds and the same ammenties that we pay.
I know this will receive comments from some who say they have no problems with them using the multimodal pathways. But for everyone on here who doesn't mind, I guarantee there are hundreds or thousands who do.

[Villager Dude]

Originally Posted by TVMayor

Is this the real reason the head of the VA recently resigned?

I guess Stonecrest wants us to foot the bill thru our amenities so they can enjoy some of The Village lifestyle without paying.

What if we all wanted to go there and use their pool and other amenities without paying.

The VA Clinic is open to all Veterans and is accessible by car. I think the developer donated the land, and paid most of the cost to build before turning it over to the VA.

If it was not for TV it would not be there i.e. it would not have been built for Stonecrest.

I am a Veteran and Believe all Veterans should have the proper care due them and those eligible can use the VA Clinic.

[Cajulian]

For your info, at the Paradise Gate there are no Multi-modal paths being used. So for the past 12 years carts came and went in both directions by Villagers going to Walmart/lowes/Aldi's, etc and Stonecresters going to doctors/post office/ Spanish Springs Town square.

It worked just fine for over a decade. The Villages were not over-run by Stonecresters. So no one is using Villages amenities for free. Villagers don't own the Hospitals, Doctors, Stores, Restaurants, Town Squares, or Streets.

Some people are so wrapped up and consumed by fears of "Stolen Amenities" that they worry themselves crazy over nothing.

[Fourpar]

VT2TV, well put.......No reason at all for TV to meet with Stonecrest folks to address this issue.

[Cajulian]

Originally Posted by Villager Dude

I guess Stonecrest wants us to foot the bill thru our amenities so they can enjoy some of The Village lifestyle without paying.

What if we all wanted to go there and use their pool and other amenities without paying.

The VA Clinic is open to all Veterans and is accessible by car. I think the developer donated the land, and paid most of the cost to build before turning it over to the VA.

If it was not for TV it would not be there i.e. it would not have been built for Stonecrest.

I am a Veteran and Believe all Veterans should have the proper care due them and those eligible can use the VA Clinic.

PLEASE TELL US, Just what free amenities do you think all these Stonecresters are using in The Villages? Some of us would really like to know, so we can build a fence around them and protect them from "Poachers".

No Stonecresters, sneak in to use Villages pools, they have their own! They don't sneak in to use Villages Golf courses, they have their own!

They do Shop at public stores! They do support all the public restaurants! They do pay tax dollars in the same county Villagers live in, helping to support the county tax burden! They do use many of the public Health Care facilities! Are all these the Villages Lifestyle things that you think are bring used by Stonecresters??

Like I said before, Villagers are their own worst enemy. The enemy is Us!

[TVMayor]

Steve Oelrich, a former Republican state senator, wants to talk to the wrong person. Gary Lester is not the person responsible for the gate being built. It was the city of Lady Lake that said the wall must come down and a gate must be installed to meet the description in plans on file dated 199?.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Cajulian

PLEASE TELL US, Just what free amenities do you think all these Stonecresters are using in The Villages? Some of us would really like to know, so we can build a fence around them and protect them from "Poachers".

No Stonecresters, sneak in to use Villages pools, they have their own! They don't sneak in to use Villages Golf courses, they have their own!

They do Shop at public stores! They do support all the public restaurants! They do pay tax dollars in the same county Villagers live in, helping to support the county tax burden! They do use many of the public Health Care facilities! Are all these the Villages Lifestyle things that you think are bring used by Stonecresters??

Like I said before, Villagers are their own worst enemy. The enemy is Us!

Been all over this last year. Do a search and your question will be answered.

[VT2TV]

Originally Posted by Cajulian

PLEASE TELL US, Just what free amenities do you think all these Stonecresters are using in The Villages? Some of us would really like to know, so we can build a fence around them and protect them from "Poachers".

No Stonecresters, sneak in to use Villages pools, they have their own! They don't sneak in to use Villages Golf courses, they have their own!

They do Shop at public stores! They do support all the public restaurants! They do pay tax dollars in the same county Villagers live in, helping to support the county tax burden! They do use many of the public Health Care facilities! Are all these the Villages Lifestyle things that you think are bring used by Stonecresters??

Like I said before, Villagers are their own worst enemy. The enemy is Us!

Never said the people from Stonecrest used our pools or golf courses. They might, but I don't know. The things like the stores, health care facilities, squares are certainly available to everyone. No one is preventing anyone from using them. BUT, the multimodal pathways are PRIVATE PROPERTY of The Villages, and paid for, at least in part by our ammenties. The Villages do not receive funding for the multimodal pathways because, again---they are PRIVATE PROPERTY. The people outside the Villages have other ways of getting to the PUBLIC places. NO ONE is stopping that. If TV let Stonecrest use the MM pathways, then the people everywhere would want to use them, and then the people who are paying for the priviledge of using them would be bumper to bumper on the pathways. If the people from anywhere feel so strongly about using them, then go the legal route, and buy a home in TV. And by the way......if the people from Stonecrest feel so strongly about everyone being able to use everything, everywhere----why is there a gate at Stonecrest keeping people out???????? You never know, people might want to come to Stonecrest and support the shops or whatever there. Seems like a double standard to me.