Public Viewpoint: Bad Apples In Bella Vista Spoil The Bunch

The old adage is one bad apple can spoil the whole batch. Well, we now have two in our midst. Our problem in Bella Vista is we can’t remove these bad apples from the batch. But we can let them know we aren’t buying their claims and we are going to keep Bella Vista’s privately owned amenities and continue to enjoy them. If they don’t want to use or enjoy one of the best places to retire or live in the entire country, lets invite them to pack up and move to Hot Springs Village or anywhere else.

Let’s review (previous letter writer) Roger Norbeck’s history as a POA board member. He and his self-proclaimed experts on water quality succeeded in convincing the board that our lakes were polluted and as a result, the POA spent in excess of $40,000 for studies that resulted in proving his claims were not true. There were other claims made regarding fertilization of our lakes that resulted in some very poor fishing and fish propagation. Thanks to our current fish management program, our lakes are beginning to show promise. Obviously, Mr. Norbeck did not get re-elected to the board. He claims Hot Springs is a better-managed operation than our village. I believe our village is managed quite well, seeing that we have been making do with far lower rates than Hot Springs and lower fees. Since we became a city, our amenities have not only been improved but we have added amenities. His claims are still flawed.

Now let’s discuss (community activist) Mr. (Jim) Parsons. He claims the kids have to get up to early to get to school. Why doesn‘t he just go to the Bentonville School Board and ask them to start classes a little later in the morning. The kids are getting home way too early in the afternoon. He wants the POA to be a part of the city. He is forgetting that we, the property owners, only voted to become a city to get the taxes and government freebies a nonprofit could not. He wants a super golf course but he doesn‘t realize that as long as the golf course in Rogers is available for the women’s tournament and the Lost Springs course is available for the others, we would have little chance of a big tournament. As for a separate school system in Bella Vista, he is off his rocker. Who in their right mind would vote for added administration overhead when we have two school systems supporting the village.

Last but not least, our board is only asking for a raise that would bring our monthly amount to parallel Hot Springs. What is wrong with that logic? Our management would still be giving us more for our money than Hot Springs does. Don’t let these two bad apples influence your vote. Vote yes.

DON STOCKDALE

Bella Vista

Upcoming Events