Actually I read an article just the other day that talked about the individual retirement communities and the number of houses along with other information. I seem to remember-and I am totally sure if I am wrong, the SC residents will be happy to correct me--but they have something like 2,300 houses in their community. And Spruce Creek had only slightly less, maybe 2000. Again, I totally admit I am not sure about the numbers, but I guess I could look it up. So, when you add 2300 to 2000, you get "thousands". Plus, some houses might have 2 golf carts. Also, the last time this issue came up, someone wrote that they lived across 441 also, and they want access too--no idea who that was.

I do understand that it would be very, very inconvenient to the people who live up near the wall. I was not 1 who said to put the wall back up, but I did say and still do that one day it may happen, or even if the wall doesn't go up on TV side, it may go up on the other private property. The owners of the various property may decide it is too much of a liability to have carts going back and forth. Other things unrelated to TV may stop the carts from TV from using the private property. I don't know all the situations. But you do need to realize that it may come to that, and be prepared for it. I personally didn't realize that there would be as many snowbirds here every winter, and I am not overjoyed about it, or the fact that I don't like a lot of the restaurants here. But I too just have to accept that if I want to live here. There are things everyone would change if we could, but it still is a wonderful place, and I just have deal with it, because I love living here... it is what it is...

VT2TV,

You might want to look up Public records on the number of houses in both Stonecrest and Spruce Creek. Stonecrest is at a little over 1900 homes to date and Spruce Creek is even smaller.

And, if you believe that a majority of them and homes with multiple carts were traveling to the Villages thru the Paradise Gate, then maybe you should listen better to Dr Winston Bogie. He at least uses common sense with his viewpoints. You are way off base and very misleading in your statistics.

By the way this topic started off being about the damaged Paradise Gate, that was stated to be damaged by an outbound Cart from the Villages. Why would you, like several others, automatically accuse Stonecresters or Spruce Creek individuals?

Why don't you stick to facts and quit labeling innocent people.

It's interesting that so many people with such strong opinions about the gate couldn't even find the gate without a map, let alone use it on a daily basis to get the necessities of life. There is quite a difference between not liking the restaurants and not being able to get to the grocery store or the doctor.


People who have access to cars should only comment if they can imagine not having transportation other than a golf cart. Do you really want to see seniors walking along 441/27 pushing their walkers through the grass?

Handicapped access to the Villages
 

I say it's a sad day when residents of neighboring communities allow their handicapped residents to access to any services via walker. Where is the outreach program for these residents to attend to vital services they need? Why don't these communities or neighbors do the right thing and provide the necessary safe transportation. If an individual is handicapped enough to necessitate a walker, than I would think golf cart transportation may not be a safe transportation medium.

See. This is really confusing for me as I don't understand how handicapped persons only in some neighboring communities can only have to use golf carts to get to medical buildings when there are transportation options like my own mother can use. If I had mobility issues a golf cart would be the last mode of transport I'd consider. How did handicapped people have anything to do with a broken gate in the first place?

Have you actually seen this happening? :confused:

Thank you for your suggestion that I google SC and Sp Cr. I did that and Stonecrest lists 2200 homes in the facts on its site, and Sp CR lists 1650, which still adds up to "thousands". There are your facts. And it is not inconceiveable that homes would have more than 1 cart coming to TV. Now, to be totally fair I took the time to read into the article about SC, and I don't know when the article was written, but at that time it was over 1900. But if you add to that other areas that would want to use the cart paths, it would add up to more. And no where did I say people would be traveling at the same time. But every cart that travels on the MMP adds to the wear and tear. As far as critizing me for saying that it could be non Villagers that wrecked the gate, think about it. Why would Villagers wreck the gate, we already have access, stands to reason it would be someone who was mad about the gate being there....

My guess would be that you have maybe hundreds who use the gate, not thousands. A drop in the bucket when you consider the combined number of residents living in all three communities. I still don't see the big deal. Yes, The Villages has the legal right to close off access, but morally, I think the Villages is being a bad neighbor in this situation.

In the light that there have been 13 deaths from golf cart accidents in the last four years within our borders...and the potential for a couple thousand MORE golf carts on our paths from the residents of those communities, I think it is a wise and prudent decision. But as you know I am annoying usually FOR The Villages and the developer. He appears to know how to make wise decisions.

Another attack for simply stating one's opinion. How tiresome and petty. Because one does not agree with a decision by the Developer, does not mean one is "against" The Villages. Such logic. Not.

And for the record, all of the Developer's decisions have not been wise ones. How about the decisions that led to the class action lawsuit a few years back, to the tune of $40 million. That was a bonehead move. If they had just admitted they had made a mistake, and done what was right, that all could have been avoided. Sure, they paid up in the end, but only after being forced to by a lawsuit.

Statistically, the few hundred extra golf carts in our community is not going to create any huge increase in golf cart fatalities. In my mind, it would have been more prudent to come up with a way of making this a win-win situation with our neighbors. Maybe there is something that could have benefitted Villagers that they could have shared, or they could have come up with a pass situation, whereby they buy a gate pass. . What is to be gained by alienating neighbors? I see a lot of people that claim to be Christians, but this isn't the Christian spirit I was taught.

The topic is the damage to the Paradise Gate. Please address the topic and not each other.

If you look at the damage of the gate, it looks as if a golf cart hit it, punching out the middle bars of the gate. Each time the gate has been broken, it has been broken the same way. Therefore I feel that golf cart driving testing should be required of all Villages residents. lol

Rollie

Gate
 

Uh....before August of last year the whole thing was wide open. No problems until Fruitland Park loomed. No traffic jams nor huge increase in golf cart incidents.
The path is short. Then like most of the old side, there are no cart paths till the dog park area. We lived happily and quietly with each other. Wish it had stayed the same and I live close to the gate.

It needed to be closed or managed so as to protect the other border, kiddo. Those southerners are Villagers too.