To the Editor:
For those who replied to my Letter to the Editor regarding doing away with Community Watch, the entrance gates, and reducing the amount of Recreation News published, I would like to reply.
First of all, I have not subscribed to The Daily Sun for six years, that is why I object to my amenities being used to insert the Recreation News into the “for profit” newspaper.
Secondly, if you compare the costs to the help provided by Community Watch, it is purely a bad business decision.
Thirdly, the speed bumps would be a one-time cost eliminating the need for gates and people paid to sleep in them. I agree there are a few busy intersections where gates and attendants are needed.
I didn’t move here for gates, Community Watch, or Rec Center Guides. I moved here for the activities, the idea of a small community with neighbors helping neighbors, and the golf cart accessibility. What I didn’t move here for was a never ending expansion of The Villages, and the loss of that community feel.
People ask what I would do with the millions saved by eliminating the three above-mentioned amenities.
First of all, I would donate the money to a hospital expansion fund. When I moved here, I felt safe with The Villages Hospital serving 45,000 people. No longer safe serving 120,000 people. I would build another woodworking shop so the wait to join is not three years, even with the one being built in the south. I would put covers on several pools, so those of us who cannot swim in the sun due to medication, or fear of cancer can be safe. I don’t want my amenity fees back, and just want them to be used wisely.
CM Black
Village of Belvedere
