To The Editor:
I am very thankful to all our loyal members and guests that attend our great club for the last 10 years.
The Italian Paisans Club has hired an attorney to look into the Villages for singling out The Italian Paisans Club on fire code Restrictions. After 10 years of having the same seating plan approved every month, The Villages Fire Marshal mandated the club that we can only have 262 seats down from 330 seats, that’s 68 less seats, this includes stadium seating. Per The Villages Fire Marshal unless seats are permanently affixed to the floor stadium seating does not allow for extra seating. The Villages, to date, has NOT mandated this Fire Code on NO OTHER CLUB OR VENUE except for the Italian Paisans Club. It appears that The Villages have two Fire Code Restrictions one for all clubs and venues and a separate one for the Italian Paisans Club. I have emailed the Villages Fire Marshall and requested that he mandate the same Fire Code that he mandated on the Italian Paisans Club to ALL clubs and venues, to date he has not replied to my email.
All of the Villages Recreation Centers with the theater/stage room are approximately the same square footage with the exception of a few bigger Recreation Centers. What this means is any club or venue that has more then 262 seats is violating the Fire Code mandated by the Villages Fire Marshall. And using the Villages Fire Marshal calculations even the two to three other bigger Recreation Centers may be violating the mandated Fire Code. That may also include the Savannah Center. Per the Villages Fire Marshal’s fire code, stadium seating (seats not PERMANENTLY attached to the floor) can’t be counted as extra seating.
In my opinion, The Villages has singled out the Italian Paisans Club. There could only be two reasons I can think of why they are singling out the Paisans Club. They must have a personal problem with the “Italian Paisans Club”, “Italians” or my “political views” being a (CDD) supervisor chairman representing the voice of the District 7 residents. If The Villages is trying to silence my voice as your elected official and if proven true, I will be considering the option to get the consensus of the District 7 Board and I will make a motion to remove the District Manager because of a personal conflict of interest. I sure hope this is not a fact and I’m wrong about this scenario.
You can read the club’s lawyer’s letter to the District at this link: Letter
Jerry Vicenti
The Italian Paisans Club