Common Sense
Prevails:
Board Rejects Cafe V
Request
Two days ago, I did not believe that I would be able to write these words, but after attending the Sun City Anthem Board Book meeting on Tuesday, July 21st...
...I left with hope that somehow,
common sense might prevail between then and Thursday, July 23rd, when various
Cafe V matters were to be settled.
It was at that meeting that two items
were brought up regarding Cafe V.
First, there
was consideration given to allowing Cafe V to close on
Sundays;
Second,
there was a thought regarding rewiring a portion of the Anthem Center in order
to monitor the utilities attributed to that
restaurant.
With all the bad press regarding Cafe
V, along with the Sun City Anthem Board's history of concession after concession
to them, we fully anticipated that the bad news would
continue....
...but surprisingly, cool heads made
for some GOOD COMMUNICATION.
...and rather
than CRITICIZE....it is
now time to CONGRATULATE !
Let me first take all of you back to
the Board Book meeting of July 21st.
For those unfamiliar as to how the
"system" works, the Board Book is a rather informal meeting where topics are
openly discussed by both board members and residents.
Decisions are not
made at that meeting....its purpose is to determine if any remaining
aspects of an item need to be discussed before a formal vote is taken at a board
meeting....
And...in this particular case...it was a VERY GOOD SESSION....and I commend
President
Bella Meese in maintaining a neutral
attitude toward all those who would speak.
However....the "rumor" that we were
made aware of...became a
reality....
...Board Secretary
Jean Capillupo brought up the subject of the Cafe V request to close on Sundays.
She appeared to support the idea, and
fellow board member, Don Schramski, joined her in
that belief.
Discussion was then opened to fellow
board members, and Director Carl Weinstein stated he
strongly opposed any Sunday closing for a number of
reasons citing the numerous past concessions...but especially now... because of the promise made by the "old
board" that "all concessions would come to an end" at the close of
2014.
Mr.
Weinstein also stated that those who attended performances at
Independence Center would be inconvenienced if looking for a place to dine prior
to...and after.. the shows at Freedom Hall.
Director Jim
Mayfield then stated that "a lease is a lease" and
that it must be adhered to.
(and in our
opinion...we wholeheartedly agreed with both of those later points of
view).
One by one, members of the
audience then had their opportunity to speak...and literally in each case, those
individuals strongly favored the positions of Mr.
Weinstein and Mr.
Mayfield.
As the meeting ended, the room emptied
and as I was leaving, I had the opportunity to have a detailed conversation
with Director Don Schramski
who was kind enough to extend in excess of one hour
of his time.
We discussed the various topics at the
meeting, but as we left, I still had the feeling he would favor the
concession....
...but evidently...he...and the rest of
the board took the next two days to ponder the various
comments....
And on Thursday, July 23rd....the vote
was taken.
Cafe V will NOT be allowed to close on
Sundays.
The vote....a
unanimous...
6 -
0*
On a second topic of rewiring Anthem Center (with what was believed to be a HUGE EXPENDITURE)....it was determined that the existing metering system was FULLY ACCURATE...and required NO FURTHER EXPENSE.
That vote....also a
unanimous...
6 -
0*
*Director Tom Nissen Absent from Votes
And so...today we take a different approach than in previous articles....
...something POSITIVE...something that
was made possible by good people who gave good
comments...
All of which resulted in
combining COMMUNICATION with COMMON SENSE...
Resulting in a solution THE PEOPLE believed... was the "right
thing to do".
Now...just as we wanted your comments in the past, we want them again.
Send your thoughts to:
...and if you think the Board did the
right thing...tell them as well.
There's nothing wrong with giving a compliment when it's deserved !
There's nothing wrong with giving a compliment when it's deserved !
Anthem Opinions
Adminstration
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From Anthony Gordon...to...Anthem OpinionsReplyDelete
The board made the correct decision in not giving any more concessions to the restaurant.
It is time for Cafe V to close.
With all the "gaming" restaurants close by, that are inexpensive, I don't see this community ALLOWING any other style of restaurant to succeed.
The original Vic's is a case in point.
The food was excellent, the service was too. I probably ate there 15 times before it changed.
The complaint was that it was too expensive, and it wasn't.
Everyone wanted it cheaper, I believe, just so that they could go more often.
A business needs to make a profit, and a restaurant is no different. We had a quality restaurant and we let it slip away.
This reincarnation needs to go. -
From Ken Ragsdale...to...Anthem OpinionsReplyDelete
Dick,
We really appreciate being kept up to date with your blog.
Good job on the Cafe V fiasco.
I'm glad to see our board did the right thing.
Now if they would only make Cafe V adhere to the original contract.
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From Bella Meese, President of Sun City Anthem...to...Anthem OpinionsReplyDelete
I wanted to say thank you for a well written article. -
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From Forrest Fetherolf...to...Anthem OpinionsReplyDelete
Finally there is dialogue between concerned residents and Board Members in a positive way.
Bella, Don and Carl's responses indicate they do read the blogs to be informed what many residents concerns are,
Our BOD can say NO...(no more hand outs) to a restaurant that they should have been knowing Cafe V's chances of success was slim to none.
Optimism, emotions, personal agenda and poor judgement got our community into this mess.
Now it is a matter of time until our BOD or Cafe V turns out the lights for good.
That space can be used more efficiently for residents and club usage without the wasted expense of a seldom used catering kitchen and unsuccessful restaurant.
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I know there is a saying about how hard it is to teach an old dog new tricks.
Well, Cafe V's situation has never been a trick, but common sense!
If all board members watch SCA's spending as they watch their own spending, I doubt this restaurant issue would have ever existed!
Thanks for posting to alert all residents at SCA!