To the Editor:
It’s time The Villages woke up and started saving money. First of all, this is not a gated community. Get rid of the gates, that costs thousands every year to repair. Their only purpose is to slow people down to allow traffic flow. Replace each gate with a speed bump.
It will slow people down, allow for a picture to be taken, and eliminate the need to pay people to sleep or wave at people at the guard shacks. Now, while there is very little traffic, do it.
The second way to save thousands is to quit charging us non-subscribers to the Daily Sun to put the rec guide in the newspaper. Put it online and put 20 copies in each rec center for those who are not tech savvy. Save $800,000 a year.
Third, eliminate the waste of time, fuel, and money we are paying to have people drive around endlessly as Community Watch. I have been here 12 years and I have never heard of, or seen them help with anything. Instead of paying for the fuel and upkeep of the trucks, and the salaries of the Watch people, buy everyone in The Villages a Ring Doorbell, and be done with it. In this day and age, almost everyone has a cell phone and can call 911. What good are people driving around? I’m sure there are a couple gates that need people to direct traffic, but when they paid $150,000 to build a bathroom at a gate that didn’t even need a person there, that was the last straw. Wake up people!
CM Black
Village of Belvedere
