Let Residents Decide, not 7 individuals
and a General Manager
Crunch time !
Here we go again...another restaurant and likely, another decision that will be made by individuals who look at a community as a bunch of children who need guidance.
Do we want one?
Do we need one?
And...if so, which one ?
How about doing it right this time?
And by that I mean, putting it to formal vote to a community with residents allowed to make the final decision based on...
...not allowing some blog operator with a track record of supporting 5 consecutive restaurant losers, a Board without a single member of restaurant or self-employment experience in the private sector...
...all of which, have been out of the "real working world" for YEARS...
...or a General Manager who recently had 863 people sign a "no confidence" petition as to her ability to making a community a happy place to live !
Let's face it...
We've been hood-wicked, lied to, and literally ROBBED by former restaurant operators in conjunction with a Board of Directors whose willingness to spend OUR MONEY like water, while covering up their incompetence, demonstrated by total LACK OF EXPERIENCE in any restaurant matters....is no longer a belief, but a fact!
All one has to do is look at the substantial financial community losses over the years and come to a logical conclusion that you can't play in a professional game with a bunch of amateurs.
And so...are we going to go through it again?
Probably...
...unless for once, a decision is made based on many factors, the most important of which are FULL FINANCIAL FACTS...NOT...the emptiness of one's tummy.
In other words, WHAT IS THIS GOING TO COST ALL OF US?
Do I or an overwhelming percentage of most residents, care what goes in that empty space?
NOPE...because living in a "Buy One...Get One" town means, most of us will go elsewhere to eat as a result.
That too...is FACT...
...unless of course, you feel you have some kind of "divine right" to eat in your own back yard, making sure others pay for it, while ignoring the many other factors that COMMON SENSE demands being properly addressed.
Looking at the three possible options, it appears the best "deal" for Sun City Anthem might be the one offered by The Village Pub.
The other two, based on their "generous" offers, are, "same old...same old" where one is asking for rent of a buck a year, and the other is based on a percentage of revenue...which likely, looking at the past, will never materialize !
But...back to the Village Pub.
After examining the initial proposal, it appeared to outshine the other two by a landslide, but remember...it's just an initial proposal.
Pardon my skepticism, but restaurant promises are as old as the hills, and for those of you who have been here for years...
...after 5 bogus tries...
...as empty as a Sunday morning bottle of Jack Daniels in the hand of a homeless person sleeping under a viaduct!
So...don't believe everything you read...there HAS TO BE MORE to the story than that proposal, and some of the terms don't seem to "fit the bill" when it comes to a community filled with unsuspecting seniors.
Let's look a some of them.
Gaming? No problem as far as most are concerned, but 24/7?
...that might be a bit much...yes, they want to be open around the clock on our premises, while the rest of the Anthem Center is closed.
Just how do you make sure our property is protected from theft and/or vandalism and/or keeping strangers from entering other parts of that property?
What about security?
Lately casino cages, banks, and grocery stores have been "prime pickins" for the unsavory, and we certainly have had our fair share of home break-ins, haven't we?
Ask yourself....
Why would the Village Pub want to be here?
Could it be....
...because they feel Inspirada and the continuously increasing new home construction in that area that will include "affordable housing", creates a new avenue to promote their organization?
Don't forget that Inspirada is NOT a 55+ community....lots of kids with young families !
Think about this for a moment !
"Rounders" is in the last stage of a new building located at the intersection of Volunteer Road and Executive Airport Drive.
They undoubtedly saw an opportunity for a profitable venture...so much so, they decided to build their own building !
And...remember....
A new Las Vegas Raiders facility will be built as well...needing employees... looking for a place to eat !
Add it all up, folks, and ask yourself....
Does Village Pub view Sun City Anthem and other surrounding Anthem communities as a competitive balance, looking for A CENTRAL LOCATION, to get "a piece of the action" ???
More importantly....
Will all of these entities bring an "undesirable element" to the Anthem communities that would affect the safety of elderly people ???
Let's face facts...
When was the last time you saw a Henderson police car patrolling Sun City Anthem?
The city won't even paint the roadways with new striping, so where does it come up with the funds to properly patrol a location within a senior community that is open all day and night?
How many of you will travel to Anthem Center and park your car in a dark parking lot, walking in the dead of night to a place without sufficient security?
How many residents favor strangers traveling through their streets (and in some cases), casing their homes for potential illegal activity?
The safety of the Anthem community must be addressed, and WILL COST MONEY !
So...let's just say, a 24/7 operation with slot machines while strangers roam "the hood" doesn't seem to address the #1 concern of senior citizens...
But...back to the Village Pub for other considerations.
It takes 5-10 minutes to travel to their other location on Eastern Avenue (literally the same amount of time it takes to travel from your home to Anthem Center in most cases); they already have an existing popular client base of many Sun City Anthem residents, so what makes them believe it won't be a matter of taking from one to give to their other restaurant?
We're not restaurant operators, so we don't know what their rationale might be.
As the saying goes...
...but what I do...
...about...is...
... the ENTIRE deal, complete with all the nooks and crannies as to what FINANCIAL COSTS the residents will be held responsible for now or in the future along with proper safety precautions.
And...guaranteed assurance from a Board of Directors and General Manager, that NO LOANS or FINANCIAL SUBSIDY of any kind is now, or will be in the future, part of ANY arrangement.
Why am I writing this article?
Because there's another old saying that keeps ringing in my ears....
...and...with people on the existing board that include Rex Weddle and Tom Nissen, after voting to approve $40,000 of loans to the last one who DEFAULTED on both ...
...not counting how they and Bob Burch and Aletta Waterhouse, along with a General Manager with a hotline to an association attorney whose bills were over 200% of the budget...and...dumped $80,000 in the most unethical manner possible on the recent recall election...
...aren't the brightest candles in the candelabra when it comes to cost effective management decisions.
I believe caution is in order and FULL DISCLOSURE of THE ENTIRE COMMITMENT combined with publishing the entire WRITTEN LEASE summarizing each and every provision, must be made public, allowing residents to place both pros and cons in a formal ballot packet, to make the decision.
It's time we did this right, if we do it at all...which honestly, after five unsuccessful tries has shown to be nothing more than...
So...I ask all of you, is all of this worth the price of a cheap sandwich...one that can easily be obtained with a short 5-10 minute drive?
Think about it !
Got a comment?
Send it to us at:
1: The 24/7 won't work. None of us that live here stay up that late and who is going to pay "our staff" to keep the building open and what about building security out of the restaurant? We have no security guards (other than when activities sends them to an event to make sure one senior does not attack another LOL)
2: If you remember the last time gaming was discussed several years ago, I contacted gaming control and was told that we could have to take measures to make sure that our private area was sealed off from the public are if gaming was in the restaurant/bar.
That would mean:
(a) the restroom, at least the ladies, would need something like a key-card entry for the back door that opens into the gallery.
(b) a gate of some kind as you enter the gallery with key card entry because I'm sure we don't want a guard there to keep "public" out of our resident area.
(c) locks on the doors from the outside leading into Anthem Center other than the reception area changed to key-card entry.
(d) all 7,144 resident membership cards changed to ones so that WE COULD GAIN ACCESS TO THE KEY-CARD ENTRY unless of course someone has a better idea.
As you said, Village Pub is the only offer that made sense, the other two are insulting, $1 per year, REALLY?
Definition of an amenity?
An Amenity for Who????
SCA or the surrounding neighborhood?
Does our charter allow our amenity to include NON RESIDENTS?
Do we need a vote or just the attorney saying it is in the best interest of SCA and voting is not required.
Do we need extra liability insurance for our center since it is open to the public?
Separate entrance?
Safety of adjacent space(Anthem Center)?
Will Village Pub be financially responsible any damage or vandalism to Anthem Center?
How can we be assured that visitors do not wander in Anthem Center?
Another thing to consider is exclusivity that ALL clubs must use the tenant for catering.
That does not bode well for different types of food for different club events, especially the ethnic clubs.
Of course - think of all the kick-backs !
From Janet Cologna...to...Anthem Opinions
You brought up some great points about even why we would have a restaurant here.
I do take exception to Henderson not patrolling here. I was told by two officers, one on days and one on swing, that they do ride around our streets.
Wonder if they're pulling my leg?
I find that concerning.
Remember.....Vic Vegas?.......our last restaurant attempt......taking out trees on the Anthem terrace to improve the view...the evening Vic locked everyone out of the kitchen, including maintenance, because of an oven door malfunction during one of his free dinners...the Vic on a billboard on 215 and St Rose Parkway advertising him at our restaurant, but no address....then no Vic and only 2 restaurant employees to serve expensive and time consuming meals from a much smaller menu.
If that restaurant space conversion into Club, exercise, Committee, Board, meeting rooms etc, residents would still be using the area today. The space would not have sat vacant for such a long time and without all the expense of moving the last restaurant and company out.