The Project Wide Advisory Committee and the Amenity Authority Committee will hold separate meetings next month to discuss the future of spending more than $800,000 each year on Recreation News.
PWAC, which represents residents south of County Road 466, will hold a budget workshop at 2 p.m. May 5 at Savannah Center. PWAC Chairman Peter Moeller said a review of Recreation News will be on the agenda.
The following day, the AAC, which represents residents north of County Road 466, will hold its budget workshop, where Recreation News also will be discussed.
The publication of the Recreation News has continued despite the shutdown of all recreation facilities in The Villages due to the Coronavirus. The Recreation News is distributed in copies of The Villages Daily Sun and up until the Coronavirus crisis, were available in recreation centers.
The publication date of the Recreation News was abruptly changed two weeks ago from Thursday to Wednesday. There was no explanation for the change, but logic would suggest it has been dictated by alterations in the Daily Sun’s production schedule, which has seen the elimination of the daily Sports section and the Sunday television guide.
ACC Chair Ann Forrester said the change of the Recreation News’ publication date is temporary.
“As I understand it, it will go back to its regular day (Thursday) soon,” she said.
Both the AAC and PWAC have been under pressure from residents to rein in the escalating costs of Recreation News, which is funded purely with amenity fees. A member of the AAC has repeatedly called for innovative solutions like publishing an online, searchable version of Recreation News and making informational touchscreens available at recreation centers. He also expressed concerns that the tonnage of discarded copies of Recreation News are an environmental danger.
