Yes, a resident survey about the changes to The Villager newspaper is coming! It has been five  months since The Villages changed the Villager newspaper to two print copies per month plus launching the Online Villager that is accessible to Villagers every week. The Club Board wants to give you an update and to share with you our next steps. 

The Club Board  has created an Ad Hoc News Committee comprised of residents,staff, and Board members with the purpose of  improving the member communication experience through The Villager Online, The Villager in print and the FastNews.  

We’ve received lots of feedback and many of your excellent ideas have already been implemented. The committee has made additional suggestions to staff that will be explored this month. 

In January, you’re invited to a Villager presentation that will introduce the Ad Hoc Committee members as well as walk you through the many Villager enhancements, including FastNews, that have taken place since July 1. This will be another opportunity for the Communications team to assist you in working with our new online communications. The presentation will be followed by a survey aimed to further improve these platforms. 

Why are we waiting until January?  January will mark six months since The Villager changes were initiated. The committee believes this length of time provides the current formats an adequate trial period. For those who are unable to attend the presentation, the survey will be published in The Villager and in hard copy in Building A so that all are welcomed to give feedback.

In the meantime, members can continue to send suggestions to the Committee via Julia Meadows with our sincerest thanks.

—Diana Hallock, Chair, Club Board News Ad Hoc Committee

The Villages Golf and Country Club Board of Directors is seeking interested candidates for appointment to key advisory committees.  This is a great opportunity to contribute your time and talents for the betterment of the community.  There are openings for both voting and also associate members.

Stay active and involved by submitting your application to serve on one of the following Club advisory committees.

ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE

Advises the Board on matters related to the exercise of architectural control over the Club properties.   

COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Advises the Board regarding each of the community’s internal communication media.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE

Develops and implements those parts of the The Villages Emergency Operations/Response Planassigned to the Committee, as defined in The Plan.

FITNESS CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Provides recommendations to the Board regarding matters pertaining to the Fitness Center.

SWIMMING POOLS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Provides recommendations to the Board on matters regarding swimming pools including the entire fenced pool area.

RULES COMMITTEE

Provides advice to the Board on rule-related matters.

Apply now!  Candidates are asked to apply by Monday, December 2, 2024.  Applications and committee charters can be obtained from The Villages Member Portal (https://member.thevillagesgcc.com/static/club-committee-application/) or from Board Services in Building A. For more information contact Julia Meadows at (408) 223-4634 or jmeadows@the-villages.com.

The Glen Arden DAC will meet Tuesday, November 26 at 4 p.m. in Foothill Center.

Note: The Villager print edition listed the incorrect date in the headline.

Your Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) and the Villages Golf and Country Club Management announce a new chapter in the growth of EPC. Effective January 2025, EPC will be led by the General Manager’s (GM) office and remain under the umbrella of the Club Board’s purview.

After a thorough assessment of EPC’s Charter by EPC Directors, the Club Board, and the GM’s office, leadership concluded that the breadth of responsibility is better accomplished under the GM. The GM has the resources to maintain and grow a program uniquely suited for our Villages’ needs.

EPC will continue with the same goal of establishing a resilient, effective response framework that prioritizes the well-being of The Villages community of over 4000 in the event of an emergency.

An EPC transition team, Diane and Kyle Finley, Fran Schumaker, Ray Blinde and Daniel Grim, will work in coordination with the GM’s office and Public Safety to give shape to the new Villages Emergency Response Program, which incorporates city, state and federal resources. Diane Finley will remain on the transition team through March 2025.

The current Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) volunteer Chairs—Mike Ramer, Ed Munoz and Diane Finley—will be stepping down from their EPC leadership positions but remain active volunteers. Please help us thank Mike Ramer, Diane Finley, Ed Munoz and Bob Dolci for their dedication, leadership and commitment to EPC.

EPC will continue to function exactly as it has until the new program is in place. We look forward to announcing our new EPC Village Coordinator in 2025. If you have any questions, please contact Public Safety via emailing the team at publicsafety@the-villages.com or drop by Building C.

The Village Fairways DAC will meet Tuesday, December 3 at 5 p.m. in the Cribari Patio Room.

Howie Blumstein submitted the following  question to the Club Board in October 30:

A document (~40 pages), Approve Proposed FY 2024/2025 Operating Budget, Capital Replacement Funding Plan, Capital Improvement Fund and Schedule of Fees and Charges, was presented to the Board by staff and approved by the Club Board of Directors at the the Board’s April 30, 2024, monthly meeting.

 Until recently, this document was on the Member Portal and identified as the approved FY24/25 budget. Why was this document recently removed from the Member Portal and replaced by the following FY24/25 Operating Budget recap?

Club Board answer:

This revised budget statement is designed to provide clear and comprehensive transparency by presenting all expenses in a single, easy-to-read document. Historically, the budget format did not extend to the detail of showing Net Profit/(Loss). It only showed Major Revenues and Major Expenses. However, with the realignment of major budget categories this year such as the Intercompany Transfers, we’ve chosen to include Total Dues, Total Revenues, and Total Expenses, a shift from previous years, which primarily highlighted Major Expenses.

For Fiscal Year 24/25, the approved Operating Dues reflect a 12.74% increase, totaling $10,529,776. This number has not changed.  

The Recap on Fiscal Year 24/25 Operating and Capital Budget is available on the Members Portal under Governance/Club/Financials

Association

• The Villages Association Board of Directors Monthly Board hybrid meeting is Tuesday, December 10 at 9:30 a.m. in Foothill Center and on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 917 8108 3392; Passcode: 223468; Dial: 1-669-900-6833

Club

• The Villages Golf & Country Club Board of Directors Regular Meeting is Tuesday, December 10 at 1:30 p.m. in Foothill Center and on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 961 5036 4740; Passcode: 260616; Dial: 1-669-900-6833

Homeowners‘

• The Villages Homeowners’ Corporation Board of Directors FY 24/25 Quarterly Business Meeting Schedule is as follows: 

Thursday, December 19 at 9 a.m. in Montgomery Center.

Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 9 a.m.

Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 9 a.m.

Dear Condo and Single-Family Homeowners,

As part of The Villages Golf and Country Club’s efforts to become a Firewise Community, exterior home inspections will be conducted in the coming weeks for all 2,309 condos to identify potential fire safety concerns. These inspections will be scheduled automatically. Single-family homeowners, however, must request an inspection for their property using the contact information below. Inspections for single-family homes will follow a separate schedule.

What to Expect:

• Weather permitting, a volunteer from the community will be inspecting the exterior of your home (condo or single-family) for fire safety issues, such as vegetation within 5 feet of structures, hazardous materials, and other related concerns. The volunteers will be wearing a red lanyard with their name for identification.
• The inspection will consist of a walk-around of your property and the taking of pictures. You do not need to be present during the inspection.
• Inspections will take up to 30-45 minutes.
• While we do not have specific dates for when each home will be inspected, we will do our best to notify the DACs and leave a notice on your door handle once your property has been inspected.
• A Defensible Space & Home Hardening Evaluation report will be made available to homeowners only upon request, provided you have submitted your email address to the Firewise Team. This report will be issued after all condominium inspections have been completed, which we anticipate will be by the end of March 2025. Homeowners may choose to share their own report with anyone they wish.

This initiative is aimed at making our community safer and more resilient to wildfires. The inspections are for evaluation purposes only and will help identify areas that could improve your property’s fire resilience. It is not for compliance or enforcement.

Thank you for your cooperation and support as we work toward becoming a Firewise Community.

If you have any questions, or if you are a single-family homeowner and would like to schedule an inspection, please contact us at:

• Email: Firewise@the-villages.com
• Phone: (408) 754-1334

Sincerely,

The Villages Firewise Committee

Club Board Goals & Objectives – An Update

Strategic Plan-2025-2029

On November 13, the three Boards will attend an all-day session, facilitated by the McMahon Group, to complete a draft of a new Strategic Plan. Our hope is to create a five-year plan of action that addresses current societal and economic conditions and commits to actions to meet the needs of current and future Club members. The entire Board contributes to these efforts. The Liaisons are the Executive Committee: Andy Altman, Judy Owen, Richard Zahner.

Capital Program

The goal is to establish a comprehensive five-year Capital Program based on the Strategic Plan aimed at identifying, developing, and securing funds for Club capital projects essential to maintaining and enhancing The Villages’ infrastructure and amenities. Working with Ryan Bell and Clay Curtin, our goal is to complete a needs assessment and estimate costs to be included in the next Budget. The Board Liaisons are Michelle Breslin, Larry Versaw, and Richard Zahner.

Community Experience

The goal is to develop a plan to improve Club member experience from existing amenities. We hope to keep getting better. Opportunities include closer coordination between Clubhouse and Pro Shop, improvement and expansion of our recreational activities and encouraging our many clubs. We hope everyone will invite family and friends to The Villages, confident they will experience welcome and beauty. Board Liaisons for Community Experience are Andy Altman, Diane Hallock, and Liz Kung.

Bylaws

The Club Board believes the Club Bylaws must be updated to complement the new strategic plan for the entire community and the Capital program and community experience goals of the Club Board. The process continues and more information on content and timing will be announced soon.  The Board Policy Committee working on the Bylaws includes Andy Altman, Judy Owen, and Richard Zahner.

The Board welcomes your suggestions and comments.

The Villages three Boards of Directors attended a Board Orientation on the 12th of this month. The all-day program was facilitated by Paul Koojoolian an experienced senior executive in the Country Club industry. In the opening session he addressed best practices of Board and Management relationships, reminding us that Boards are responsible for policy, planning and oversight.  Other topics included:

• Risk Management and Insurance
• Legislative Update
• Budgeting—Operations, Reserves and Capital
• Club and Association investment strategies
• Landscaping Issues    

It was an informative day and a great way to hear about the priorities and concerns of the nineteen directors of the Club, Association and Homeowners’ boards.  During the day we discussed the need to hold both the General Manager and the Boards accountable to accomplish the goals, objectives and projects we committed to at the beginning of this year. For our part, the Club Board has made progress on several of our goals:

Strategic Plan—With the Association and Homeowners we have contributed to a draft Strategic Plan document that will address the facilities and quality standards we expect for our Club and community. This annually updated document will become the basis for future projects, budgets and programs.

Five-year Capital Improvement Program—The Club Board approved a new policy to create and maintain a rolling five-year capital program. This will include a Facility Master Plan.

Bylaws and Polices Update—The Policy Committee drafted a redline version of the bylaws including a proposed Initiation fee and changes to capital collection and spending limits. Related polices have also been proposed and several approved. Your review and comments are welcome at a Town Hall Meeting in mid-October at the Clubhouse. 

Technology Committee—This month the Board will consider forming an ad hoc Technology Committee to study options to Comcast and internet service providers.  

It has been a busy two months as we adapt to the new Member Portal, Online Villager and the new Cobalt management system. The Club Board appreciates your patience, suggestions for improvement and good will. 

Thank You!

—Richard Zahner Villages Golf & Country Club Board President

Welcome everyone to the October Association Board of Directors meeting.

This month I want to talk about how great it is to be a Villager. I just spent 16 days on a cruise from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale, Florida going through the Panama Canal. It was not a Villages organized trip but we had seven couples from The Villages on the trip. Some of the couples I knew and some I did not. But, after going on shore excursions with some couples and eating dinner most nights with these couples and just hanging around on the ship, I was able to get to know all of them much better than I did before we left. We had a fabulous trip, and you can see pictures of our group on The Villager Online. As it turns out, most Villagers are wonderful people. We just need to take the time to get to know them. We had numerous discussions about life in The Villages and the consensus is this is a great place to live. I was happy to hear that since I am always concerned about the state of our community.

As you all can see, turf reduction work has begun from the intersection of San Felipe Road down to the Public Safety Plaza gate. It’s been a lot of hard work and planning over the last few years, but the projects are finally under way. If our planning is accurate, we can continue to see this type of work throughout The Villages over the next 20 years. Yes, you heard that right—four acres a year for 20 years.  I hope to live long enough to see the completed project.

I would like to thank everyone from Theresa and the staff, the Villager volunteers on the Landscape and Water Committees and all the DAC landscape and water committees for the extensive time and effort given over the last few years.  It’s a learning experience for all of us and it’s nice to see everyone’s efforts are finally starting to pay off.

I would also like to thank the Insurance Committee for its hard work. The Villager articles on the importance of understanding our HO6 policies are extremely helpful. If you haven’t read them, they are posted on The Villager Online and I suggest everyone go back and read all three. Understanding your HO6 policy is important to ensure you have the proper coverage in the event of a catastrophe.

Thank you all for being Villagers, and, as usual, my phone, email and my door are always open and available for questions or comments.

—Association Board President Michael Schwerin