The VHA Quarterly Town Hall Meeting Report for January 2021

The VHA Quarterly Town Hall Meeting Report for January 2021

The VHA wants to thank the following people for providing answers to questions from our members and Villages residents for The VHA Quarterly Town Hall meeting:  Dr. Gary Lester – Vice President Community Relations, and Richard Baier – The Villages District Manager.

The VHA welcomes your questions for community leaders to address.  The next VHA Town Hall Meeting will be held in April.

Town Hall Question Submission Form

Questions and Answers

Members and residents are asking the following questions related to changes by the Board of Supervisors in CDD 7 and the impact on the other Districts:
Who will pay for the attorney hired by CDD 7?
Richard Baier: VCCD 7’s attorney fees as selected/negotiated by the Board of Supervisors is paid for out of VCCD 7 funds.

If CDD 7 leaves PWAC and an event such as a sinkhole occurs in CDD 7, who is responsible for the cost of the repairs?
Richard Baier: The benefits of Project Wide fund (PWAC Membership) are many and include all Districts sharing in the maintenance and in repair costs associated with natural disasters to common infrastructure such as geographic anomalies etc.  A District that is not a part of Project Wide is responsible for their own costs for operation and maintenance of infrastructure.

If CDD 7 leaves PWAC, will CDD 5, 6, 8-13+ have to contribute more?
Richard Baier: The analysis is yet to be completed as VCCD 7 is still a part of Project Wide per the agreement approved in August of 2019.

The new trash collection program has generated the following questions:
Why has the cost of trash collections increased after removing the extra pickup for yard waste and the elimination of transport to the recycling plant?
Richard Baier: The cost of sanitation services increased due to:

• Long term solid waste plan introduced a single stream disposal to the waste to energy plant instead of utilizing the less expensive land fill disposal.  In an effort to reduce the long-haul transport to Georgia and be cognizant of the environment, a different disposal method was selected.  
• As part of the plan, bond covenants had to be addressed to ensure NSCUDD was meeting all required debt coverages for their bonds.
• The same amount of waste is still being picked up from customers and there is still transport to the waste to energy plant.

What are the results of impact from the new trash program?
Richard Baier: The impact of the new sanitation program has been very positive and more predictable for cost as opposed to the previous recycling program which fluctuated with market conditions.

There is a rumor that a cardboard recycling plant may open near Tampa.  If built, would recycling of cardboard be added to trash collections?
Richard Baier: Cardboard would continue to be incorporated in our current plan as it would not be advantageous to carve out one line to recycle.  Waste Management, our previous recycling provider, would not agree to any carve-outs.   Independent of that, the current program is recycling the cardboard and all recyclables into electricity.

Please explain the absence of a concrete ribbon on the sides of the multi-modal paths south of SR 44.  In addition to the aesthetic value, they create a safety feature, especially at night.
Dr. Lester: As the new neighborhoods have a more rural country look, the current path design is a better fit aesthetically.

Can trash cans be placed along multi-modal paths for pet walkers who must carry fecal waste bags long distances?
Richard Baier: Trash receptacle placement is not designed to facilitate the disposal of pet waste. The District Janitorial Contracts do not include provisions for disposal of biological waste in District trash receptacles.  Further, depositing pet waste into trash receptacles are one of the most common occurrences of drawing rats to the waste receptacles.  Pet owners are responsible for proper handling and disposal of pet waste within their home trash receptacles.

Can the cleaning schedule for Paradise Park and the multi-modal bridge over Hwy 441/27 be increased?
Richard Baier: Changes to the cleaning schedules would require modifications to current contract frequencies resulting in increased annual costs for those services. Changes to the contract would need to be at the direction of the appropriate District Board. To date there has been no indication of a need for increased service for this bridge or Paradise Park.

VHA members and Villages residents sent in many questions for the January VHA Town Hall related to the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine.  Answers were provided ahead of The VHA Town Hall in the Wednesday, January 13, 2021 issue of The Villages Daily Sun.

“Sign up for a vaccine at sumterfl.saferestart.net.  Do not add www to the URL, as it can result in a security warning.  Though you will not be charged, the form will ask for insurance information and Social Security numbers, which the company needs for its own reimbursement purposes and to verify identity ahead of time.  Anyone who does not feel comfortable entering the SSN can type in all 0s and give the information when they get to the site.

The process to get an appointment is two steps.  After registering, people should watch for an email from GMR (Global Medical Response) that will have a code to make the appointment.  Going back to the website for scheduling is required to get an official appointment.

GMR will schedule appointments as it gets more vaccines, so anyone who signed up and hasn’t received an email yet about scheduling shouldn’t worry…”

Additional information from GRM is provided at [email protected]