With the sudden and mysterious departure of the Bella Vista Properties Owners Association general manager, now is the time to turn the page and make Bella Vista into one of the finest small towns in America. We have the natural ingredients of lakes, trees, weather, wildlife, location and other amenities to be one of the greatest places in the world to live.
In the past, the Bella Vista Patriots have used the slogan, "Go away, POA." Perhaps now there is a place for the POA to shine. The POA could hire a parks and recreation director instead of a general manager. The salary could be commensurate with other similar positions in cities around us. That would be an annual salary of approximately $85,000.
The POA should have to maintain only three golf courses and the seven lakes. The golf courses should be for the exclusive use (at a reduced rate) for the 18 percent of our members who still play golf. The new parks and recreation director needs to have the expertise to build us a world-class golf course that would truly make Bella Vista a golf destination which, obviously, we are not now.
The POA needs to deed the water department and the other four golf courses and amenities incrementally to the city as the city can bring each amenity to operate in the black. Currently the POA has set fees for members to use Blowing Springs Park, gun range, RV park, Riordan Hall, pavilions and other such amenities. These amenities should be financially self-sustaining.
A community cannot achieve the status of being a "great city" without providing a great educational opportunity for its children and residents. Many people have said Bella Vista cannot financially afford to have its own school district. Approximately 80 percent of our tax dollars go for education. Education is the biggest business in Arkansas and almost all of our education money is going to Bentonville and Centerton. We have been paying for schools for years and yet we don't have a school building of our own. Having our own schools won't cost us a penny more. We just need to form our own district and start bringing our money home.
In 1965, Cooper Communities Inc. had a great plan to form Bella Vista into a recreational/retirement community. For decades it worked wonderfully. But, today that plan is dead. Now the demographics have changed, we have younger families than elderly folks. It is time for Cooper Communities with their years of experience, expertise and assets to partner with the POA and the Bella Vista Patriots in developing a plan for a new Bella Vista. It needs to be a plan that serves the young families as well as the retirees.
Jim Parsons
Bella Vista
Editorial on 09/22/2015