By Lloyd Sherman, February 1, 2020
Have you ever noticed that when the topic of the Comprehensive Master Plan (CMP) comes up you basically get one of two reactions? Either the person you’re speaking to starts beaming and becomes giddy, or, they go into convulsions.
Those who support what the CMP represents say they have read it, understand it and totally agree that it is the savior of the Village and they don’t understand why the rest of us go into convulsions.
Those that have questioned or oppose the CMP typically have read the majority of the document and have researched how it actually came about. The concept of what the CMP represents is not new. It has been around for decades and if you research its beginnings you will note that involved in from the very beginning are the founders of DPZ. Now don’t get me wrong, in the right setting and for those who want to live in a New Urbanism environment, this lifestyle works for them. God Bless them if they want this, but in this day and age, we have way too many people who want to determine how we all live our lives. Their choice, not ours.
I am not one of those people. I am a Baby Boomer and I grew up in rural America. The place I was raised was a logging community in Oregon, with a population of 200 people. If I remember correctly my 8th-grade graduating class had 13 of us moving on to the high school that was 17 miles away. I wouldn’t have changed that for the world. Now in the remaining years, I have left, MY choice was to move back to a more rural environment. I spent all the time I wanted living in the hustle and bustle of our cities, and yes town centers, etc.
People who are going to move to rural Arkansas are most likely not moving here to subject themselves to what they left.
If CCI hadn’t filed a lawsuit and won forcing the administration to allow the property owners access to the information that we not only pay for, and deserve to see, would we know some of what we know today? The answer is NO. It was obvious that an environment slipped in that secrecy and lack of transparency was to be the standard operating procedure. This is just unacceptable, but we still have signs of it going on today. The development and rollout of the CMP and then the Declaration Vote woke the property owners up. Prior to that, apathy had set in and way too many were not paying attention to what was going on. That has changed and I suggest more property owner involvement is not only needed but required. We need to be in charge of our own destiny and not have it left to those who think they know what is best for us.
The point of this writing is multi-purpose:
- If you have not actually read the document that set up the introduction of the CMP, please read it here.
- To point out that not everything in the CMP is useless. Anything that has any reference to infrastructure is worth consideration for being utilized.
- And lastly, the recognition that the real intent of the CMP was to change the Village to a Development Organization.
So, do we totally scrap the CMP? Due to the CMP now being a four-letter word, I have to say YES, but only to the name. The charge needs to be to simply go back to 1, 3, and 5-year STRATEGIC PLANS developed and adopted at the board level. Eliminate the use of the term CMP. Take the components of the document that deal with the core responsibility of the POA and that is a maintenance organization. If Developers come along and want to pursue lodging or further commercial development, let them approach us with their proposals. But under no circumstances should the POA itself have anything to do with these aspects of future development. That is the board’s responsibility.
Take all the resources currently directed towards CMP development projects and reassign them to work ONLY on infrastructure items. The human resource capital that is being misdirected today is in the millions and for what? To develop projects that can’t possibly be accomplished!
So in conclusion, let’s reverse engineer the CMP back to a Strategic Plan, eliminate the development concepts and turn all resources to maintaining what we have and be the best largest gated retirement community in the United States. We keep spending time trying to reinvent who we are to something we can never be.
Stop the madness and return the Village to its core purpose of a retirement community with some of the greatest amenities that can be found anywhere in this great county.
Kathy Henderson
02/01/2020 — 6:16 am
Wonderfully written!
John Dethardt
02/01/2020 — 6:23 am
Amen !!
Penny
02/01/2020 — 7:11 am
Very well said Lloyd. We completely agree with you.
Phil Lemler
02/01/2020 — 7:14 am
Commentary you would expect to hear from a “qualified” board member!
Tom Blakeman
02/01/2020 — 7:48 am
Common sense ideas and a practical leadership view. Vote for Lloyd.
Minn Daly
02/01/2020 — 7:59 am
Lloyd! You have my support. Voteing Lloyd, Tucker & Dick. Let’s take our community back! Minn Daly
Linda Anderson
02/01/2020 — 8:29 am
LLOYD, One of the very BEST- accurate and professional.
The only solution is to remove the CMP all together and it’s status as a governing document. No more legally binding undercover deception. Only “proper” By-Laws, New Board rejuvenation and attitude toward rebuilding the future of our great VILLAGE.
The vote should be for Lloyd, Tucker, and Dick.
Nancyo
02/01/2020 — 9:52 am
We should not just adopt the strategic plan ‘approved’ for the 1,3,5 yr plan. Those too must be looked at and determined if they are still relevant and anywhere near fiscally possible. A plan is only a plan until it’s fully implemented therefore, I would hope there are opportunities it examine what these plans are and if needed to make modifications. As for The dirty word Urbanization; I believe there needs to be a better definition as to what that means for the Village. Getting 5G, building a Pool, having updated Rec facilities, Improving infrastructure (as you mention). These are Urbanization and NOT bad things. That word alone strikes the fear of satan in folks here and we need to quit using it as a fear tactic. HSV needs to attract younger folks (those just retiring) and some updates can be done to accommodate their desires without upsetting the current look and feel of the Village. As a new resident of only 6 months, my concern is bringing in the needed additional revenue (as well cut unnecessary costs) and incorporating things which will appeal to the almost retiree. I do hope that is being considered as part of the work you would do on the board. Updated construction codes, maybe some thought about 1 central town center with the POA headquarters and other in 1 place. Town squares and centers do not have to be ugly atrocities and a small one where people could congregate and conduct business is not totally a bad concept – despite the bad-mouthing it gets here. I may be against the majority, but I represent a younger generation of retirees and want to be sure it is clear-we are the people to target to buy here and some updates, without taking away from the beauty, the peacefulness, nor the rural feel are necessary. We aren’t asking for sky scrapers and 4 lane HWYs.
Kirk Denger
02/01/2020 — 10:15 pm
Updates of Rec facilities would be welcome by all and are great even in this rural setting, but what we are getting are downgrades. Before you moved here we had a world-class Olympic 3 pool complex and bathhouse designed by a world-class architect who originally designed this Village. Our idiotic ceo Demolished it. There was a bid of a half a million to completely refurbish it which was way more than it actually needed. Now we are stuck with a Ciess-Pool 1/3 the size at 3 times the price and not even a 1/100Th the class. We used to have a FAMILY recreation Park which was also demolished without warning by the same sleight of hand. Our historic original guardhouse leveled by backhoe one day without any discussion. Urbanism is not a dirty word here, but being bushwacked by a cult named Congress of New Urbanism is. This bunch which our ceo is affiliated with studied our Village 9 whole days before they recommended we buy their standard one size fits all software programmed Plan for a half-million dollars which the BOD paid for unanimously with our money. Nancyo we all would hope there are opportunities it examine what these plans are and if needed to make modifications, but for 2 years since we were handcuffed by this plan there have been NO opportunities it examine what these plans are and if needed to make modifications. A plan needs to be planned. Best Plans take time, I would think years to build a reality plan that fits circumstances of your community. I do not support a plan that literally took 9 days of studying of our circumstances and then implemented immediately a standard one size fits all half million dollar scam where no emergency exists. That is what I call Shoot first aim later. We are all a minority in one way or another and minorities should always be protected. 25% is a minority however that is how many school age children including parents reside in the Village total population. Younger retirees are welcome whole-heartedly even if they are in the minority. Anyone who disagrees is not busy living, they are busy dying. POA headquarted at a town center is unnecessary, we already have a Village Square at the Front Gate, And we also have four other small ones where people could congregate and conduct business which the concept has been with us for decades. 4G is fast enough for this rural community and 8G will be here shortly after the urban cities gets it, we are not that far behind.
Rosanne Hitch
02/01/2020 — 1:49 pm
It is too late to be a RETIREMENT COMMUNITY again, there are many, many young children in here now! Not saying yea or nay because people will jump all over me with way!
Minn Daly
02/01/2020 — 2:07 pm
Rosanna, I have been a HSV resident for 32 years. My son attended & graduated Jessieville school. My two grandsons live in HSV one graduated other one is in Fountain Lake school. I was not retired when I moved here. I worked until 2010, then retired. I loved the GATED community & the rual rustic concept of HSV with lakes trails & golf. I hope you do as well. We need to keep our community viable, good infrastructure, financially stable, for all who want to live within this environment. I hope you stay & raise your children in a safe community, this is what we all who are voteing for Lloyd, Tucker & Dick want for all members! Minn Daly
Sam Taylor
02/01/2020 — 2:18 pm
Well said Lloyd!
Why deny what we are Rosanne? The mean age is still well over 60 as of the last data. There was always some younger people here even when it was advertised as a retirement community. Yes there are more now, but they are still very much the minority so we are still a retirement community! People need to understand that when they move here.
Lloyd Sherman
02/01/2020 — 4:33 pm
Nancyo – Very well stated and yes all the items listed should have been and should still be part of what is maintained. I don’t think any of us have any aversion to having all age groups represented here in the Village and I would suggest that we encourage it. However, to perform effective marketing campaigns your audience needs to be laser-focus and not a shotgun one as we have now. This is a retirement community regardless of what they want to call it and the retirees add a significant amount of spending to the local economies. As for New Urbanism, you can’t adequately fight what you don’t understand and we need to understand that what is being attempted falls directly in line with the new urbanism ideology. It is not fear-mongering but information sharing for something we don’t believe works here. In the right environment, it works great. This isn’t one of them and not one dime of our money should be spent on turning this place into something it wasn’t or can’t be.
kilroy
02/02/2020 — 4:09 pm
Lloyd Sherman is a stand up guy. A wise man. One we can depend on. Let’s put him in that seat right next to you know who. Won’t that be intimidating? For her!
Frank Shears aka Bubba
02/02/2020 — 10:52 pm
Minn , I agree with you about Lloyd. He is very intelligent, professional and honorable. If he says he is going to do something, he gets it done… every time!
I met Mr. John Cooper III at the big CCI open house last year and he told me the Village has always been intended as a retirement community and was extensively advertised as a retirement community. He said they have NEVER had any age restrictions and that he doesn’t believe in age restrictions. He does understand that the opportunities for employment in the area are limited but families with Children have always been welcome here. It has been my experience here that the people living here agree with that. Yes, there are a few who will never be satisfied but the greatest majority of residents absolutely LOVE living here. I know WE do.
I also agree with you about the coming election. We Need to elect those candidates who will stop the money drain, show the POA how to manage a maintenance organization properly, and fix the amenities we have that may need it! I firmly believe those candidates are:
Lloyd Sherman, Tucker Omohundro and Dick Garrison.
VOTE LTD
They have our votes.
Mark
02/05/2020 — 7:09 am
Vote LTD. Fire Nalley. Scrap the CMP.