The Amenity Authority Committee will look at the possible purchase of 40 acres of property for expanded recreation facilities in the Marion County section of The Villages.
The AAC has been negotiating with the First Baptist Church for the possible purchase of its former home on County Road 42. The church constructed a new building a little more than two years ago and has been using its old church as a fellowship hall. The AAC has been exploring the possibility of buying that church and converting it to a recreation center.
Marion County residents of The Villages have expressed their beliefs that recreation centers are already heavily used and more facilities are needed. The Villages is also preparing to build more courtyard villas in that area, bringing more residents in need of recreation facilities.
AAC member Don Deakin raised the possibility of purchasing 40 acres of land west of Hilltop Estates mobile home park in lieu of buying the church and converting it to a recreation center.
“It would be a brand new facility and we could tailor it to our needs,” Deakin said.
Fellow AAC members Carl Bell, John Wilcox and Lowell Barker agreed with Deakin’s assessment and said they wanted to explore the possibility.
“Don has brought up some very good reasons we should look at the 40 acres,” Wilcox said. “Let’s keep them both going.”
District Manager Janet Tutt cautioned that commercial property owners usually don’t want to enter into sales with government.
“They will sit on the property until they get what they want,” Tutt said.
When contacted by Villages-News.com, the property’s owner, Rick Schilling, said the price for the land is $3 million.
“If they are interested in buying, I would be interested in talking to them,” he said.
The AAC also signed a contract with the church to keep the negotiating process moving along.