[Singerlady]

You said it. Unfortunately the Firm cheapened a lot south of 44: lot sizes, your MMP, shorter driveways, utilities in front yard, size of houses, narrower streets, etc.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by maistocars

Not sure I agree with "sis" if she is talking about MM paths. I ride the MMP north of 44 every day to Odell Circle and I do not see any cement ribbons on the MMPs. We stop at the dog area just south of Hillsborough all the time and pull our cart right up on the grass with everyone else without crossing any cement border.

Now this is interesting. Maybe the cement lining each side of the MMPs was stopped before getting south of 44? I really don't go very far in my golf cart; just stay around Mallory Square going to either Colony Rec Center and shopping there, Lake Miona Rec Center and then to Lake Sumter Landing. Actually, I have driven along 466 on the MMP too. All those paths do have the cement lining each side of the path so. Next time I'm riding on Morse or Buena Vista as a passenger in the car, I will look at the paths that run along those roads to see if they, in fact, do have the cement borders.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

It still baffles me why someone who doesn’t live south of 44, probably never visits south of 44 feels the need to bash everything south of 44 every chance he gets.

It might not be jealousy but it sure looks like some sort of personal insecurity.

Sorry if it baffles you but I care about the appearance of all of The Villages, not just my area. The Villages has a reputation to live up to and the older villages is what made this place so popular. I just hope, as large and more populated this place gets, it will continue to have a great reputation.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

“Infrastructure on the cheap is what is happening down south.”coffee bean.

I'm not a construction engineer but it seems to me that lining asphalt with a cement ribbon would cost more than just leaving the asphalt bare on the sides to be invaded by grass. No??? That is what I was referring to.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Most from people that haven’t walked the path.

I haven't walked the path by Lake Miona yet but I'm looking forward to doing that now that the weather is cooler. I will weigh in on the width of the path after I actually walk it.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Oldragbagger

Sis is wrong. The paths down here are perfectly fine.

Next time my sister takes a ride on the paths south of 44 (usually on Sundays), I'll ask her to take photos of the grass invading the asphalt. Problem is, I still don't know how to post a photo on this site so I wont' be able to post the photos. I will, however, be able to see for myself what Sis is talking about.

[rsmurano]

This is how propaganda starts, someone told someone told someone and now it’s true.
Before posting you should have 1st hand knowledge.
The paths in the south are much more thought out and look better than the paths north of 44. Down south here, we have curbs when needed. We don’t have grass growing in our paths, and all of our paths are made for golf carts, not like the paths north of 466a. If you go head on to a path after crossing issuing a street where the gates are north of 466a, there is a harsh dip, which you don’t have down south. How about the accid by waiting to happen path north of 466 where the golf carts share the road with Morse? We don’t have that here, we are off the major roads. (Did the county vote yet to get rid of the Morse golf cart path yet?).

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by charmed59

The Lake Miona Rec center path is a rubberized surface like they use for running tracks with cement borders. It is six feet wide including the cement borders. Those from the district thought when they asked for a six foot wide path it would be six feet wide not including the borders, and admittedly, that would have been wonderful. However the path does work well and is fairly popular.

There is another rubberized surface walking path north off 441, just on the other side of the 441 bridge. I don’t know if there are any south of 44, but if there are I bet they also have concrete borders.

OMG......thank you so much for posting this. This rubberized surface is perfect for folks with arthritis, especially in the knees and ankles. Are the paths south of 44 made with this surface too? That is a wonderful addition to our area. I can't wait to take a walk. And.....there is cement ribbons lining the walking path by Lake Miona. GREAT!!!!!!

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by charmed59

From google maps it looks like both the walking and MMPs south of the turnpike have concrete borders.

I'm very glad to hear this. I want all of The Villages to be the best it can be. Good to know it is not all the paths south of 44 that do not have the cement to protect the asphalt.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by rustyp

I've observed the edges of the blacktop are already breaking off on the cart paths without the concrete curbs.

Why would they even build any paths without the protection of the concrete? That is truly a concern.

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Our MM Paths north of 44 have cement "ribbons" lining each side of the paths. This cement prevents the grass from invading the asphalt and gives the landscapers a sharp edge to keep the grass edged.

I personally have not driven on the cart paths south of 44 but my sister routinely takes a ride in her golf cart on Sundays south of 44. She has noticed that the paths down south do not have the cement "ribbon" along the sides of the asphalt. Without this ribbon of cement, the grass has invaded the asphalt and she told me those paths look awful.

Infrastructure on the cheap is what is happening down south. Too bad.

BINGO. Under the guides of "Everglades" or "Prairie" themes you see much less Villages touches of "Disney-like cuteness".
Take for instance the 301 entrance of DeLuna and compare it to up north. Bathroom tile on a tiny wall. South of 44 is The Villages "Developers" beginning to show clear signs of thinking no one is noticing the change in motivation. Don't get me wrong, the S of 44 bubble beats the lack of creativity elsewhere however, it IS a noticeable change in design.
??'s that make you go "hmmmm"...

Why is TV not forcing the developers or owners to open the theater in Brownwood? Lack of workers... give me a break. Comments saying Leesburg theater is great is ridiculous! TV "dream" has plenty of theaters. That's a selling point for over 55's. Covid was a great reason to close it... temporarily. Theater by golf cart. Fun for the grand kids yatta yatta.

And yes, the golf cart trails are going to fall apart as there are no curbs. Who pays then?

As The Villages grows to Clermont it will eventually be like any other 55 and older community. I'm sure the paths will become more and more diamond lanes with cars.

All good things crumble eventually. It is about the $$ and selling houses on stamp sized lots the further south they go.

3 generations ago it was all about "dreams come true" for over 55. Now it is basic rec centers and repeating designs of round-abouts. Plenty of golf for the future but even the courses are changing. Someone with more golf experience can elaborate on that but the new pitch and putt at Richmond looks awfully small. I think you get my gist.

Still, I love the bubble... just feel bad to see it changing from what it is on the north side of 44.

[tuccillo]

The one noticeable area (to me, since I ride it often) without a concrete ribbon is the stretch from the Brownwood Bridge to the bridge over the turnpike. The edges will recede with time and will have to be dealt with.

Originally Posted by coffeebean

I'm very glad to hear this. I want all of The Villages to be the best it can be. Good to know it is not all the paths south of 44 that do not have the cement to protect the asphalt.

[NoMo50]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Infrastructure on the cheap is what is happening down south. Too bad.

Not sure I agree with that statement. Different does not necessarily mean cheap. The newer developed areas south of SR-44 have many more miles of MMPs and walking/biking trails than the areas north of 44. The preservation of wetlands and preserves, along with the addition of miles and miles of trails was, in my opinion, a great feature to the southern villages. We meet people all the time who live north of SR-44 that come down south to enjoy the walking/biking trails. They don't seem to mind associating with us folks who live on "the wrong side of the tracks."

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Aces4

I have a question regarding the mmp’s lack of curbing. Is zoysia grass used in the landscaping along those paths or is a different type of grass used?

We had unlined blacktop streets in our patio villa area north of 466A before we moved into a house. The zoysia grass was so invasive that it was permeating the blacktop all over the streets. Ribbon curbing was installed to cure the problem. If zoysia was not used south of 44, there shouldn’t be any issues with a lack of concrete borders along the mmps.

There must be issues with the grass invading the asphalt otherwise my sister would not have even mentioned it to me. She told me those paths look "awful" and she has no reason to lie about it.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by westernrider75

I have yet to see any grass infiltrating the asphalt!

My sister has seen it so you must not have been on the paths that sis has been on.