Ahead of a pivotal meeting set for Friday with Recreation Director John Rohan, Dragon Boaters appealed Thursday morning to the Sumter Landing Community Development District Board.
Dragon Boaters, in particular members of This Boat Rocks, are unhappy at being bumped from Lake Sumter in favor of new kayaking and fishing tours offered through the Recreation Department.
Dragon Boaters packed the April 9 meeting of the Project Wide Advisory Committee. Though they received assurances at that meeting, the situation has not been resolved.
“We are looking for additional guidance and assistance. The path we are headed down is not going in the right direction,” said Susan Chicoine, captain and founder of This Boat Rocks.
The Village of Pennecamp resident said that in this month alone, eight of 13 practices had to be canceled.
The Recreation Department is in the midst of a three-month trial period in which the new activities are being offered. The activities, which are fee-based, are being added at residents’ requests.
“Lake Sumter is not an amenity,” said District Manager Janet Tutt.
It is owned by the Sumter Landing Community Development District.
However, the responsibility of this issue has been put in the hands of the Project Wide Advisory Committee which now oversees amenities south of County Road 466.
Rohan told the SLCDD Board that the Dragon Boaters have been using the lake from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
“No one group owns the scheduling of one water body or one recreation center. There needs to be some compromise,” Rohan said.
He also indicated he wants input from all seven Dragon Boat captains in The Villages.
Chicoine suggested Rohan is attempting to divide the Dragon Boat teams. She said the teams’ scheduling system has worked well for several years.
She said she had received the Recreation Department’s schedule at 9:39 p.m. Wednesday night.
Chicoine said the schedule is not workable.
“Not everybody is going to get everything they want,” Tutt said.
