A homeowner is raising the alarm about a poorly designed roadway in her neighborhood in The Villages.
Rose Nemeth of 4805 DeClerk Loop in the Village of DeLuna raised her concerns Thursday morning before the Community Development District 12 Board of Supervisors.
Nemeth works remotely from an office in her home at the intersection of DeClerk Loop and Steele Path in the neighborhood behind the Water Lily Recreation Center. Steele Path is a narrow, one-way strip of road, that encircles an island of trees.
The roadway “was not designed correctly,” she said.
She witnesses the problem on a daily basis from her office.
She said it is very difficult for vehicles to turn from DeClerk Loop onto Steele Path. The stop sign has been struck by a vehicle struggling to make the turn.
Nemeth said she was promised at closing that the problem would be addressed. However, The Villages has stopped returning her calls.
“The Villages is not responding,” she told the board.
Supervisor Andrew Bilardello, a retired first responder, said he has personally inspected the area and offered sympathy for the homeowner.
“It’s an absolutely terrible design,” Bilardello said.
He said that if a FedEx truck is making a delivery in the neighborhood, it would be nearly impossible for an emergency vehicle to make it down the street,.
“Whoever the traffic engineer is, he needs to be fired,” Bilardello said.
Deputy District Manager Carrie Duckett said the roadway falls under the responsibility of the City of Wildwood.
That particular area has streets named for many longtime employees of The Villages. DeClerk Loop is named for John DeClerk, who for many years worked as a videographer for The Villages News Network, which was part of The Villages Media Group. Steele Path was named for The Villages Daily Sun reporter Pat Steele, now retired.
