HSV Community News, Events, Opinions, People, and Places

Not-so-funny thing happened

A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to the FLSD forum last evening….

Written by Lorri Street

You can’t do it on ‘our’ property

Upon arrival at the Coronado Community Center (CCC), myself and Patty MacDonald (a well-known & respected 35 yr. resident of HSV) were approached by Gary Ketteler, the new manager of that facility.   Mr. Ketteler instructed Mrs. MacDonald and me—on behalf of Stacy Hoover, the Director of the HSV Recreation Department–to leave the premises of the CCC since we were not permitted to distribute our handouts. When we questioned Mr. Ketteler on our right as HSV Property Owners to be there and hand out flyers outside the double doors in a quiet peaceful manner, he responded, “You can’t do it on ‘our’ property.”  

Hot Springs Village Coronado Center
Hot Springs Village Coronado Center – not a free speech zone

Mrs. MacDonald and Ms. Street were told police could be called

  Flabbergasted by his words suggesting that Mrs. MacDonald and I, both residents and members of the HSV POA, were not perceived as having any right to be on “our property,” we both said to Mr. Ketteler that we indeed had the right to be there as long as we did not obstruct/interfere with residents arriving to attend the Forum. Mr. Ketteler then said he was told to call the HSV Police to have us removed if we didn’t comply.  What a photo-op for the Voice–myself and Mrs. MacDonald (89 yrs. young) quietly sitting on the benches outside the front doors of the CCC, being forcibly removed by the HSV Police!

Mrs. MacDonald and I then walked out into the parking lot of the facility and distributed our flyers without further harassment by “our” POA staff. Once the meeting began, Mrs. MacDonald and I joined others inside to listen to the FLSD presentation. 

Important take-aways from the Forum:

FACT: HSV has 260 FLSD students, yet HSV residents account for 72% of the taxpaying voters in the FLSD boundaries.

The following is to occur in the School Year 2019-2020

FACT: Should the millage increase pass, FLSD will immediately sell bonds (borrow) $6,000,000.00.

FACT: If the millage vote passes, construction will begin this coming July on a new 10,000 sq. foot Pre-School Building, at a cost of $2,600,000.00. Currently, FLSD has two classes of pre-school students (totaling 40 students), with a waitlist of 15 students. This is clearly a “build it and they will come” plan.

FACT: Roadway, parking, and other site (school) development will also commence this coming July to the tune of $2,400,000.00 if the millage increase is passed.

FACT: Capital Improvements – pavement overlays, secure all entryways, and a considerable expansion of the current cafeteria at a projected cost of $1,000,000.00 are also set to begin this summer.

FACT: Certified salary increase of $1,000 per teacher for a projected cost of $160,000.

Millage increase is not all about teachers’ salaries

So, as you can see the millage increase is not all about the teachers’ salaries, which is what we are led to believe. You can find the slideshow of last evening’s presentation on the FLSD website.  Sadly, because the Forum was not advertised well by FLSD, I counted just a little under a dozen HSV residents in attendance beyond the FLSD staff living in the Village. 

Help us place a Village Voice advertisement

In an attempt to quickly reach out to the HSV Voice subscribers (subscribers and racks total 5,000), those who oppose the increase have set up the below GoFundMe fundraiser for the sole purpose of placing a colored ad in the May 14th edition of the Voice.  The goal is a total of $1,080.00 for the ad.  Just 108 $10.00 donations will get the job done!  Thank you!

Defeat FLSD Proposed Millage Increase Go Fund Me

Note from Editor: Ms. Street is not placing the blame for this incident on Mr. Ketteler. To be fair, Mr. Ketteler was following instructions of HSV management and failure to follow instructions would have most likely resulted in the termination of his employment. The blame for this incident should not be placed on Mr. Ketteler, but HSV POA management.

« »
Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial