A new sinkhole has been confirmed at a problematic pond in The Villages where nearly $200,000 already has been spent in repairs.
It is located 25 yards from the eastern shore of Lago de Leon in the Village of Alhambra and was confirmed Tuesday afternoon by District Property Management. It is described as a 5-inch diameter hole approximately 6 feet deep with a small fissure at the bottom.
Gumbo clay is being used to fill the hole.
Last year, the Community Development District 2 Board of Supervisors approved a $100,000 expenditure for repairs at the pond, which has been plagued with sinkholes since Hurricane Irma in 2017. The $100,000 was taken from a reserve account funded by maintenance assessment fees paid by residents of CDD 2. Over the previous decade, $78,000 had been spent on sinkhole repairs at the pond.
CDD 2 supervisors have been getting an earful from residents about the unsightly – and often smelly – condition of the pond. Residents are upset that despite the repairs to the pond, it has not retained water. Weeds have been growing in place of water.
“A lot of work has been done and CDD 2 has spent a great deal of money to repair this pond,” said CDD 2 Supervisor Bill Schikora.
Village of Alhambra residents packed the Aug. 10, 2018 CDD 2 Board of Supervisors meeting to express their unhappiness with the condition of the pond. At that meeting, Tom Clark, president of the Alhambra Social Club, said his biggest concern has been home values. He pointed out that some owners paid a $32,000 premium for the privilege of living on the pond.
