An Amenity Authority Committee member says he sees a serious problem with emergency access at the entrance gates in The Villages.
AAC member John Wilcox last week described a scary situation in which he was involved at an entrance gate.
A few cars were stacked up at the gate because someone trying to get the arm to lift was having trouble with the card reader at the unmanned gate. Behind the cars there was an ambulance with the “siren blaring,” Wilcox said.
The AAC member said he was concerned that the ambulance crew could have lost precious time because of the backup at the gate. He is wondering how many similar situations there have been in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
“I think we have a problem. I would love to see emergency vehicles have the right to open the gates,” Wilcox said.
Community Development District 3 Supervisor Gail Lazenby, who is a retired member of The Villages Public Safety Department, said the technology to perform such a function exists.
“The technology has been around for more than 20 years,” Lazenby said.
However, he cautioned that the technology is, “Very expensive.”
The long-time supervisor said he would have difficultly endorsing that kind of expenditure.