If you ask us, The Villages Developer should hang his head in shame over the sorry multi-modal paths that have been constructed south of State Road 44.
Those paths, which clearly are the result of a cost-cutting measure – i.e., greed – don’t have ribbon curbing like the much higher-quality ones north of SR 44. Those superior paths have a roughly six-inch strip of concrete running along both sides, which obviously protects the edges from wearing down and deteriorating.
The new paths, which are seeing heavy traffic after the recent opening of the new Chitty Chatty Bridge – and it’s only going to get heavier – have rightly caught the attention of Project Wide Advisory Committee members Don Wiley and Gerald Ferlisi. Luckily for their constituents, those two elected officials have no qualms about speaking their mind – especially when it comes to the sneaky tactics the Developer always seems to use when sticking it to the residents who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to live in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
In October, Wiley raised concerns about the new multi-modal paths and the possibility that when the Developer turns over the newer sections of the paths and they are absorbed into The Villages, residents could be stuck with the cost of substantial upgrades that clearly will be needed.
“It’s going to be a problem,” said Wiley, who represents District 10 on PWAC, which oversees amenities and resident-funded infrastructure south of County Road 466. “The edges are already starting to crumble. Are we going to get stuck with the bill? Will we have to put down 20 miles of ribbon curbing?”
After PWAC members were told that the new paths “meet state standards,” District 9 representative Steve Brown said he was concerned that the Developer appears to be leaning on those “state standards” instead of the solid experience with ribbon curbing that has proven to protect the life and durability of the multi-modal paths north of SR 44. Like many of us, Brown and his fellow PWAC members are wondering why ribbon curbing – which has been proven to work and looks much nicer – has been abandoned by the Developer.
Ferlisi, who also is an active member of the Developer-hated Property Owners Association, joined PWAC in November as the District 5 representative and immediately shared his concerns about the paths. He said he took a ride in his golf cart south of SR 44 and really wasn’t impressed.
If that’s not enough, some Villagers also are rightly worried about a safety issue on the multi-modal path that stretches between the Village of Bradford and the Village of Chitty Chatty.
Greg Madore, of the Village of Bradford, pointed out this past week before the Community Development District 13 board that a dangerous situation exists .15 miles from the intersection of the multi-modal path and Aiken Way, behind 5034 Sander St. He said that at night or during inclement weather or reduced visibility conditions, a relatively sharp curve in the path could prove to be extremely dangerous for Villagers traveling in their golf carts – especially those who are unfamiliar with the path.
“The area beyond the curve slopes off into a retention pond,” Madore said. “To a driver not expecting this curve it can appear the path is continuing straight ahead until you are into the curve. It is only a matter of time before someone misses this curve at night and is injured,” he added, while predicting a golf cart driver will end up in the water.
Madore also pointed out that the path is in a wooded area and not well lit. He said the multi-modal paths north of SR 44 have reflectors in the middle of them and at curves, which help golf cart drivers safety negotiate the dangerous spots.
“South of 44, none of the multi-modal paths have reflectors or other markings on the curves,” Madore said.
Note to the Developer: What in the heck is going on here? Have you even been on these multi-modal paths or are you just so hell-bent on putting money into the pockets of the fourth-generation Morse Millennials that you could care less or can no longer be bothered with things like quality and safety? Cheapening out on ribbon curbing is reprehensible but including a dangerous curve in a path with no reflectors that could result in golf carts crashing into a retention pond is beyond inexcusable. Who designed these new multi-modal paths anyway, one of the fifth-generation Morse family toddlers who got a new set of crayons and just had to try them out?
As we said earlier, we applaud Wiley, Ferlisi, other members of PWAC and residents living south of SR 44 who have raised concerns about the quality and safety of the multi-modal paths. We’re quite confident they’ll stay with this issue and stand up and fight when the Developer tries to dump the problematic paths on the backs of Villagers and their wallets.
Unfortunately, the multi-modal paths south of SR 44 appear to be just one more example of quality of life issues in and around the Village of Fenney. From offering food trucks instead of lavish country clubs to blasting in a nearby quarry that actually shakes homes to being so close to the Coleman federal prison that announcements can be heard to parking nightmares at the Putt & Play, the last thing Fennians need are sorry and dangerous multi-modal paths that could eventually cost them portions of their hard-earned money to repair or replace.
Yes, the Developer should hang his head in shame over this haste-makes-waste mess. But we’re guessing that won’t happen because he’s clearly shown that he could care less about the quality or safety of the new multi-modal paths that Villagers depend on to enjoy their lives in a golf cart community.
