At the April 6 Board Discussion Session, HSVPOA General Manager, Kelly Hale, discussed Visitor Gate Access Policies. He said he believes in a “big on hands-on” approach to the management of the Village.
What partially prompted this discussion is that while Hale was monitoring the gates [evaluating a system] and while watching folks enter and leave he noticed a lady show her bank card to gain access. The gate guard waved her through.
“We have policies that talk about Visitors, Guests, Members, Ingress, and Egress.”
Ingress-and-Egress-Policy-GuideHale read, “Under ‘Visitors’ it says, ‘Any person who is not a member or a guest sponsored by a member but is seeking access to the Village and has proof of authorized entry from a POA approved entity such as a church, service club, business, professional practice, or ticketed event, or activity approved for visitors/vendors…'”
Hale said what specifically brought this to his attention is when he was monitoring the gates he noticed something. “We have businesses here in the Village. I got a phone call from the lady that runs the Regions Bank. They had people that couldn’t get through the gate because we go in cycles about taking the gate serious and not [taking it seriously].”
Hale: “I moved here because of the gates. That was priority one. Beyond that, it was the beauty and all the other stuff that goes along with it. But you know, for $100 a month, it is pretty doggone good for the type of security we have. That’s God’s honest truth. We want to talk assessment value.”
What Hale noticed when standing with the east gate guards, was a lady pulled up and showed a bank card. The guard waved her on through. “I asked the guard, ‘Is that how they get in?'”
The guard explained that the bank customers just show an ATM card and then they are allowed in the Village.
Hale said he left the east gate and was headed back to the POA Administration Building and he noticed the same car at a trailhead, just a few minutes after she had been admitted to the Village.
Hale said, “Being me. I had to stop. She was tying her shoes [using] the bumper of the car.” Hale said he just can’t help himself.
After stopping, Hale addressed the lady saying, “Hey, how are you doing? Beautiful day for a walk.”
The lady responded, “Yeah, I walk three times a week on the trails.”
Hale asked, “Do you live here?”
The lady said she did not.
Hale said he didn’t tell her she had to leave.
Hale continued, “It is one thing to do business with people because we have businesses in here, churches in here.” The process for doctors’ offices [Doctors’ offices should send the patient an appointment card and the patient is supposed to show this in order to enter the gates.] “We’ve gotten away from that.”
Hale said, “Then we get phone calls at the POA from Doctors’ offices that are upset because they are not following their own rules..”
Hale stated, “I don’t want to upend our businesses that are here because they serve us…That’s fantastic that we have all these within [the gates]. But to think that we are going to [allow] all the outside residents come in here as well, it turns into a managing nightmare…”
Hot Springs Residents/Members spend money for a Beach Patrol every summer. to ensure that only authorized people are using the beaches. “People have this implied attitude that if they have some sort of business or whatever, that they are entitled to use all the amenities we pay for,” said Hale.
Hale is exploring options with the POA staff. One recommendation [not that this is what we are going to do] is that people that bank here or go to church inside the Village, etc. could be issued a sticker pass. Doing this would help to alleviate some of the gate congestion.
Hale said the builders are not making sure their vendors have the proper passes. “This is lost revenue, that we should be getting.” The large trucks can be hard on our roads and every work pass issued generates some money that can be used to repair the roads.”
“I don’t have an immediate answer on how we are going to address this. I just wanted to get it up for discussion and out on the table so that we can find the right avenue.” This has been an ongoing problem for decades. “We don’t want to turn off the community or the vendors we have here, but we need to make it clear, ‘you need to have a purpose here, and then when you are done with that purpose, you need to leave, please.'”
This is one of the key issues he sees going on. There are issues with tailgating.
Hale said, “The reason I bring this up is we’ve had a high uptick of issues that have gone on with vandalism, theft of gas. A John Deere gator was stolen from one of the golf courses, along with some tools. These are people from outside the Village that are cutting our fences and getting in and doing different things. It just goes to show if they are doing that and stealing from the POA, we need to make sure we are firm on not letting people in here who shouldn’t be in here.”
Hale wants to make sure folks belong in here, have a purpose in here and you leave as soon as you are finished with the purpose. “I believe that people who are part of a community, are more responsible within that community,” explained Hale.
Board Vice-chair, Tucker Omohundro, said, “Businesses started in this Village years ago and they never planned on getting people outside those gates…The businesses inside the gates were started to service the people inside this community. Omohundro said he has been here through it all, and things changed.
Cheryl Dowden, Hot Springs Village Gazette, April 10, 2022
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Walter Chance
04/10/2022 — 12:29 pm
Agree. What is the point of the gates if their is a go around? All vehicles in here should have a sticker or a pass. I will monitor the discussion but if a person regularly uses a business like Regions, for example, why not coordinate with Regions and issue a different color sticker pass?
Larry Bauer
04/10/2022 — 2:13 pm
You may have seen many Villagers picking up trash Saturday. Besides the scattering of Fast Food trash were a lot of empty beer cans. I know some % is by residents, maybe 20, I believe a majority is by builders, roofers etc.. I’ve driven a pickup for many years. It didn’t take long to realize anything less than a lb. Will not stay in the bed which is partially why I keep it covered. I can see some roofers after a hot day on a roof wanting a nice cold drink. Maybe some lunch bags just gets thrown in the bed. I wonder if compliance could get the village police a few days a month to monitor, check how much trash, is being brought in the beds of builders with a warning if they find trash? Many are the same whose trash is scattered on Hwy. 7.
HSVP C
04/10/2022 — 2:37 pm
I love that idea, Larry!
Frank Klier
04/10/2022 — 4:12 pm
How about require tarps or coverings when hauling debris inside of the village?
LLOYD SHERMAN
04/10/2022 — 6:12 pm
The majority of the items that I picked up on Saturday was alcohol related. Beer cans of course, but I didn’t count the number of liquor bottles I picked up. Almost never pick up soda cans. I also try to get the cigarette butts. I can’t believe how many people who smoke don’t care that they could easily start a file and if that happened and with the fact we haven’t done even a decent job of clearing downed trees and underbrush, let’s hope a fire never gets started.
Larry Bauer
04/10/2022 — 7:26 pm
The majority of what We picked up was alcohol related. Some are small bottles which I think they stop at the liquor store in the Village drink it down and throw the bottle out the window.
Deborah King
04/10/2022 — 8:37 pm
Thank you. I said that, too, on NextDoor, but people are so quick to blame contractors and their trucks. I think it is residents who are responsible for most of the trash, and possibly resident children at that. Alcohol and cigarettes make up the majority of trash I have picked up.
Becky Owen
04/10/2022 — 9:03 pm
I know I can’t be alone in thinking that the west gate could be better managed – I am a resident in the village and have a sticker on my car that allows me access in and out. What I am fed up with is the line I must sit in to await entrance to get to my home while I watch more than 2 gate attendants sitting inside the gate house with the right lane closed. Night or day, this lane should be open if there is more than one attendant working the gate!
Jeff Olson
04/11/2022 — 5:58 am
I am very pleased that GM Hale is addressing the issues with the gates. Without consistent enforcement of the gate policies, they serve no purpose and actually embolden violators. Is there a review process in place to evaluate the performance of gate security staff semi-annually or annually? If it weren’t for HSV being a gated community, we wouldn’t live here. I understand that some security is better than none, but what are we paying for…..what should we expect? Thank you, GM Hale. Lead on.
Robin Hudson
04/11/2022 — 7:44 am
I would also like Hale to look into boats coming in and fishing the lakes and taking more than limit. Are they paying a boat fee?
Tom B
04/13/2022 — 12:22 pm
The Compliance Division has a lake and dock/launch patrol that monitors this. They must have a boat decal or pay the daily launch fee ($10).
HSVP C
04/13/2022 — 4:16 pm
It is the policy of this website to not approve comments unless your first and last name is used. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
David Cohen
04/11/2022 — 8:21 am
Thank you for keeping us updated. Seems like an easy step to contact other gated communities and ask for advice. We’re not inventing the wheel just want it to run smooth.
About a separate sticker for banks, open an account and get sticker and then close account. We do have what others want.
Y’all have a great week.
Evie O’connor
04/11/2022 — 9:14 pm
I agree with GM Kelly Hale. I don’t know what the answer is because whatever idea someone comes up with, someone else will disagree. I feel that people who live outside the Village and bank inside the Village should have a special sticker not just show a cash card.
Missy Masterson Hale
04/14/2022 — 8:23 am
Thank you for looking into this, GM Hale! You’re doing a great job!
Joy Stefan
04/14/2022 — 10:35 am
Perhaps one approach would be to require a sticker on every car entering (other than guests who have been called in) – a different color for nonresidents, just like the worker’s pass sticker is a different color. That wouldn’t stop nonresidents from using our amenities, but it would bring in some more $$ to the POA coffers.
Or can the placard system also be required by banks to use? Banks would issue a colored placard to nonresidents, and if they were caught parked at a trailhead or on the beach, etc. they would be fined.