First of all, I would love to know why I pay extra to live in a "gated" community when it has been months since the gates have actually been CLOSED!!! I also payed $40 dollars per "clicker" when I first moved in to access the gates. Let me tell you I have used mine MAYBE 5 times since January. It is absolutely ridiculous!!!!! The security tower was destroyed and stayed that way for at least a month, and now it's finally cleaned up but I have seen absolutely NO action to have it rebuilt and it's been at least another 2 months. And now I hear that people have been shot in the complex!!'' Yes, this can happen anywhere, but it can also be minimized with the correct security precautions!! (Such as closing the gates!!!)When I first moved in, I was pretty satisfied with apartment complex in general, but now after living there for 6 months my boyfriend and I are seriously reconsidering if we want to renew or not. Unless the property management can ensure our safety once again we will not hesitate to move out!!! I noticed on another review that the management responded, it would be nice to have a response to mine as well considering we never get a response on anything else! Thanks! BuLYzGcKAVo8MQPlcXJq

Manager's Response
From: Manager	Date: 05/27/2008
Of course I will respond to you Anonymous and if you would let me know who you are, I could find out why we have "ignored" all your other requests as that seems odd to me. The gates are not here for "security purposes", nor do we gurantee anyones "safety or security". As stated in your lease contract, you are responsible for your belongings, your guests and yourself just as if it is your own home. The guard shack was destroyed and will NOT be rebuilt. As everyone agreed in our Town Hall Meeting, it was an eye sore to begin with. We are replacing this with beautiful landscaping. The incident that happened this weekend was unfortunate for all of us. It was actually an occurrence by four Non-Residents that just happened to pull into Bella Vida office parking lot, NOT thru the gates. I assure you, if this was a major concern to our residents, notification would have been posted at the office the day after the incident. It would be nice to meet you and discuss the gates, etc...with you in person. Please let me know if you need my assistance with anything else. A response to those who responded to me: when you move in to an apartment community with gates, they are never for "security" purposes, they are for private access with the hopes that those who use them are just residents. I understand your frustration and we are doing our best to get them in working condition the PROPER way so they do not break every other day as they did before. Previous management charged the $40 per remote and in the town hall meeting we addressed this. I am sorry it was done, but I cannot go back and refund what has already been charged. We are offering the free remotes, if I had known it was going to be a big deal to everyone, then maybe I should have continued charging the $40 per remote. I cannot satisfy everyone, all I can do is my best to make the majority happy. Please join us on July 8th for our 2nd Town Hall Meeting. I am very curious to hear your concerns after the gates are fixed. Also, if you have noticed the Fitness and Business Center doors are now locked and can only be entered by using a remote.

User Responses
From: tcbtac	Date: 05/29/2008
If the gates are not there for security of any sort, why are you paying to have them fixed? It seems kind of pointless. I also bought a clicker for $40, and I have been told that they are just going to be giving them out now. Do I get a refund for it? It has never been used, and I was told that I had to have it access the weight room, which is not true. Especially since most of the people who use the weight room, do not live at the residence. If you ask them, they will be more then happy to tell you that they live 4 or 5 miles away. The shooting may have occurred in the front of the complex, but I was told by people who were friends with the victims that they were visiting our pool, which is also mostly used by people who do not live there. In fact, I was running one day in the subdivision right next to Bella Vida, and I saw a couple of teenagers who could not get into the pool there. I thought it was kind of funny, but then I visit our own pool when I get done running and they are in it. My question to you Manager is: If the gates serve no security purpose, why have them? Why not invest the money in improving some other aspect of Bella Vida? New basketball goals, repainting buildings, or fixing gutters that are hanging from buildings right now. Maybe we could hire someone to prevent people who do not live there from using the amenities that are for the residents?
From: lant80	Date: 05/29/2008
I completely agree why waste the money to fix the gates if they aren't for security? It's not like they are beautiful gates and add to the experience of living here. It is also a little ridiculous to say that a shooting does not concern our residents, maybe not to the management but it sure as hell concerns me. And honestly if they had been 20 yards the to the right or left it would not have been in the office parking lot. It would have been on the actual property. It's not like we have gates preventing them from getting in.I have also paid for 2 remotes and have not really used them. Not only that I also wonder what is going to happen to all those people that paid $40 for a remote if they start giving them away. We have two. Thats $80. If it was for the gym then maybe they should fix the door to the building so that random people don't use it. Maybe strangers coming onto the property and shooting the place up wouldn't happen if random people couldn't use the amenities we pay for. And I would just like to say, I have lived here for about a year. I have never myself had major problems, but I know people that have had nothing but. So I guess it's a 50/50 shot as to how people will like it. On the experiences of some other people I'm not renewing my lease. I'm not going to risk the problems others have had.
From: mwhitted	Date: 03/03/2009
The guard shack was not being used anyway. What ARE the gates there for? I understand management (or the police) can't GUARANTEE safety and security. But you can do a better job. Locking my door doesn't guarantee my safety and security, but it helps.

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