VHA History
By Sandy Mott
February is the anniversary month of the Villages Homeowners Association and an excellent time to once again give an account of the founding of the VHA.
So, here is the history of the beginning of the Villages Homeowners Association - the facts of why and how our organization came into being.
First the why. In the summer and fall of 1990, the expansion of The Villages south of Highway 27/441 was bringing hundreds of new residents to our community every month. These new Villagers, along with those already living here, saw a need for a homeowners organization that would represent all the homes in The Villages.
But how to begin? The formation of such an organization required leadership. A conversation among a group of friends on a bowling team provided the answer of who could lead such a venture. One of that group of friends was Yvonne Knudson.
This was a case of the right person being in the right place at the right time. After much discussion (and a bit of "arm twisting" by her bowling team friends, Sue Hartman and Jean Underwood), Yvonne agreed to an exploratory meeting to test the interest of residents in forming a brand new homeowners association to serve all the residents of The Villages.
In early December 1990, Yvonne invited her bowling team friends and several other interested residents to a meeting at her house. Present at that meeting were Sue and Jim Hartman, Jean and Jim Underwood, Frank and Marie O'Brien, Clara and Mat Streicher and Bill and Jeanette Lawton.
That evening's exploratory discussion about the need for a new homeowners association turned into a planning session to make it a reality.
A notice was sent to all residents requesting responses from those interested in this proposed organization. When the number of positive responses quickly reached about 2,000, all doubt about the need for a new homeowners association vanished.
This group, who were to be the founders of the VHA, agreed on some important principles. The new homeowners association was to be a constructive, positive thinking organization open to all homeowners in The Villages.
The immediate goals were to enhance the quality of our retirement lifestyle, to be problem solvers and to foster constructive communication between residents and the developer.
With Yvonne as temporary chairman, the group set about satisfying the legal requirements of the state of Florida to become a bona fide homeowners association. The charter was applied for with Frank O'Brien named the Agent of Record.
One final task remained before the group would be ready for the first public meeting. For this planned homeowners association to be successful, they needed an agreement from the developer to meet with the organization's representatives on a regular basis to discuss ideas and suggestions and to solve problems.
At this time, Yvonne was serving as a member of the Lady Lake Town Commission. As a commissioner, she had met and worked with the developer on various occasions.
So Yvonne was the obvious choice to talk with the developer. She made an appointment with Gary Morse to tell him about the forming of a new homeowners association and to secure his consent to meet with the board of the new organization on a regular basis.
Those of us who knew and worked with Yvonne knew she never approached a meeting unprepared. When she told Gary Morse about the new homeowners association, she spoke of the need for an organization to represent all the homeowners.
Yvonne then emphasized that this would be a constructive organization pledged to approach their work in a positive manner. She pledged that theirs would be a homeowners association committed to negotiating rather than demanding and would be rational and reasonable in matters to be discussed.
When her meeting with him ended, Mr. Morse had agreed to meeting with the board of the new homeowners association on a trial basis. If meetings with the organization proved to be constructive and business-like, the developers would continue meeting with us.
(As the VHA begins its 18th year this month, these regular meetings with the developers continue.)
The group was now ready for the first public meeting. On February 12, 1991, several hundred of us gathered in the Carmen Miranda Room of the Paradise Recreation Center. By the end of that meeting, the Villages Homeowners Association had elected officers and many of us had volunteered as Villages Representatives.
It was a unanimous decision that Yvonne Knudson should become the first president of the VHA. Other officers and directors were: Marvin Mitchell, vice president; Sue Hartman, secretary; Clara Streicher, treasurer, Frank O'Brien, director; Lewis Berry, director; and John Hlubb, director.
I became the representative for the village of Del Mar.
And that was the way it was. I was there - a part of the beginning of the Villages Homeowners Association.
There have been attempts to rewrite (falsify) the history of the VHA. But facts are facts, and attempting to change history can not alter those facts.
Yvonne Knudson and others of the founding group are gone now, but their legacy lives on. With a current membership of over 10,000 Villagers, the VHA is still that constructive, positive thinking organization, committed to enhancing our Villages lifestyle.
During the last 17 years we have compiled a long and varied list of accomplishments - far too many for a complete listing.
In 1995, the VHA Newcomers Social began and continues monthly to welcome new Village residents and provide them with vital information about our community and the surrounding area.
In July 1998, the VHA sponsored its first Golf Cart Safety Clinic. This popular community service project remains a vital tool in promoting traffic safety in The Villages.
In 1997, the Charitable Giving Committee was established. This has evolved into the VHA Charitable Foundation. Through this charitable division of the VHA, we provide needed funds to local organizations and charities and give college scholarships to local area high school seniors.
In 2007, the VHA Charitable Foundation contributed $50,000 toward the installation of a weather-radio transmitter to ensure that all Villages residents would be able to receive severe weather warnings. Also that year, we presented a $15,000 check to the Villages Center Community Development District toward the purchase of a small four-wheel-drive rough terrain vehicle for use in disaster situations.
As we begin our 18th year, we remain a constructive, positive-thinking organization open to all Villages homeowners.