Villagers packed a meeting of the Amenity Authority Committee over concerns about an entry point for “outsiders.”
The Palermo Place multi-modal path discussion was at the tail end of the AAC’s agenda on Wednesday, but was moved to the top to accommodate the volume of residents that was so large that extra chairs were hauled into the meeting room at Savannah Center.
Villager Steve Eikenberry, who is active in The Villages Woodworkers Club which gathers at the woodshop on Rolling Acres Road, admitted he set the discussion in motion when he made an observation about the many golf carts crossing Rolling Acres Road from Recreation Plantation and making entry through the multi-modal path at Palermo Place in the Village of Valle Verde.
“When the squares close at 9 p.m. there is a lot of traffic leaving The Villages,” Eikenberry said.
He said he made the observation and reported it to the District Office after hearing all of the recent concerns about “outsiders” using amenities in The Villages.
Ron McKean, who lives at 162 Palermo Place, told AAC members that he and his wife have been forced to cope with the speeding, noise and discarded debris associated with the multi-modal path that runs into their neighborhood from the Rolling Acres Road Sports Complex, operated by the Town of Lady Lake.
“It’s been a thorn in our side for 17 years,” said McKean, who was arrested in 2021 after an angry confrontation with the driver of a speeding golf cart.
However, McKean was definitely in the minority as most in the audience did not want to see the AAC seal off the Palermo Place entry. Many Villagers use the access point to travel to the woodshop and nearby driving range. Others stood up for Recreation Plantation residents and called them “good neighbors,” who want to visit the squares and support businesses in The Villages.
“Businesses are dependent on those people,” said AAC member Jim Vaccaro.
AAC Chair Donna Kempa pointed out the town squares are not an amenity.
“They are open to the public,” Kempa said.
The AAC members unanimously agreed to take no action with regard to the entry point at Palermo Place.
