Wayne Bentley of the Village of Silver Lake is one of many Villagers who have been fearful that a golf cart card-access gate is about to be sealed off.
He and many other residents have heard the rumor that the “medical gate” on the Historic Side of The Villages is about to be shut down.
“Many residents living on the Historic Side of The Villages utilize this gate to access the medical offices just outside the community, for shopping at Lowe’s, Walmart, and the soon-to-be-opened BJ’s Wholesale Club, not to mention accessing the Wawa to obtain non-ethanol gas for their golf carts,” Bentley said.
The rumor mill has offered theories for the elimination of the medical gate, which is located off Paradise Drive. One reason for the rumored closing is retaliation by the Developer for the mob that showed up at Monday night’s Lady Lake Commission forcing a 3-2 vote against planned apartments at the former home of Katie Belle’s at Spanish Springs. The other prominent rumor is that Florida transportation officials are worried about the Niagara Falls of golf cart traffic about to be unleashed upon the opening of the new BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Villages-News.com has been inundated by the rumors and we reached out to Deputy District Manager Carrie Duckett.
“Although it is not a District gate, we have been able to determine that it being closed is just a rumor,” Duckett said.
Residents are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief.
The medical gate is located at the site of the 2013 “Berlin Wall” erected during a standoff between the Developer and property owner Ron Brown. The Developer was miffed that an assisted living facility located outside the yellow lines of The Villages was advertising that it was golf-cart accessible.
A wall went up halting golf cart access for outsiders and blocking Villagers from using the cherished exit for medical appointments and shopping. Ultimately, the card-access gate was installed as a solution.
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