The Amenity Authority Committee on Wednesday rendered a decision on a proposed $135,000 to $165,000 bathroom addition at the Shay Gate.
The gate on the Historic Side of The Villages is manned 24 hours per day, seven days a week. An average of 1,732 vehicles per day pass through the Shay Gate.
It is the only manned gate without a restroom for the gate attendant. The attendant must walk down a street – without a sidewalk and poorly lit at night – to use a restroom at a convenience store.
A comprehensive examination of the operation of the Shay Gate was presented to the AAC and you can see the entire presentation at this link: Shay Gate Review of Operations
AAC member Carl Bell in March asked that a technology solution be examined for the Shay Gate, potentially eliminating the need for a gate attendant. However, on Wednesday, Bell had changed his mind, thanks in large part to a meeting he had with Community Watch Chief Nehemiah Wolfe.
The former commander for The Villages for the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday repeated some of the observations he had earlier shared with Bell.
Wolfe said the gate attendant “serves as a prime deterrent” to people who enter the community with nefarious motives. The gate attendants have a proven record of spotting everything from drunk drivers to people suffering medical emergencies, including dementia-related episodes.
Bell quite publicly changed his position on the Shay Gate and won a firm round of applause from the audience gathered at Wednesday’s AAC meeting at Savannah Center. Many in the crowd were at the AAC meeting specifically for the Shay Gate discussion. Included in the crowd were gate attendants who work the Shay Gate.
Bell made a motion to keep the Shay Gate in place and move ahead with the restroom addition. AAC member Don Deakin seconded the motion and it won unanimous approval from the AAC.