LETTERS EDITOR TO THE

Front yards for beauty; backyards for play equipment

Editor,

I am writing this letter in regard to the city council discussing trampolines and swing sets in front yards of Bella Vista residents. I cannot understand why they would even consider such a thing. They belong in backyards and people should consider this before buying a home here.

I love that Bella Vista has so many lovely homes and gardens and feel this would spoil the area and devalue our property.

I have lived here 15 years and this is my first letter to the editor.

Most of the people living in Bella Vista take pride in their homes and gardens. I and many of the people I talk to feel this would take away from the beauty here.

Life is full of changes and I feel this would not be for the better of the community.

Norma Russell Bella Vista

Disappointed with BV ministers and priests

Editor,

About 80 Bella Vista folks attended the Mayor’s Prayer at the Bella Vista Community Church on Saturday, May 5. In addition to Mayor Christie, about six ministers, three from Community Church, attended. All effectively led prayers asking for the following: unity in America; unity in the church in America; in our families; unity among all ethnicity’s; and that we agree clearly, unite visibly and pray extraordinarily for the next great spiritual awakening in America.

God has clearly asked his followers to pray earnestly and continually. Recognizing that we have in excess of 20 churches in Bella Vista, I was especially disappointed that only a handful of pastors chose to attend this significant annual event. The presence of all or most of our Christian leaders would have visibly demonstrated widespread church unity for prayer and Christ.

Further, there should have been at least 200 to 300 people in attendance. It is also well known that only a few of the Bella Vista pastors attend and participate in the Bella Vista Ministerial Association. This also fails to exhibit Christian unity. Are pastoral interests so centered on one’s own church that they are afraid to participate in a few events to show Christian unity and help stimulate a great spiritual awakening in our community? I am very disappointed and hope this lack of unity might be reversed.

I implore all pastors and Bella Vista citizens to do all in their power to glorify God via personal and corporate prayer in addition to keeping His commandments and helping nonbelievers to come to faith in Christ.

Harlan Phillips Bella Vista

Don't be so quick to judge

Editor, I’m sure that the paper is not interested in our personal disagreements but I will, if allowed, respond once to “Doc” Irwin. Apparently, Mr. Irwin knows me well enough to say what kind of Christian I am. He must have the power to see into a man’s heart. Unlike you, “Doc,” I don’t judge a man so easily. You ask me to “please tell us about the Christian qualities of our president” while you say that he profanes God.

Mr. Trump is often a coarse man and, from what I’ve seen reported, he has certainly not led a saintly life. I don’t support him as a candidate for the church council but he has done some things early on in his presidency to save lives of the unborn and to defend Christians in this country and around the world. It amazes me the people that God has used to do good throughout history, including this president. I have observed presidents who make great speeches while accomplishing little good. I have seen politicians who are great speakers and who put on a great show while supporting evil. So far, with all of his faults, President Trump has accomplished some great things, and I do not like to see the vitriol and hatred spewed against him by so many.

Sorry, “Doc,” but I still think that your letters were short on facts and filled with anger and hatred. As far as the Russia thing, you failed to mention that the Steele Dossier was a political project paid for by members of the Democratic party. You and I will continue to disagree on what you call facts, but that is allowed in a democracy.

Mr. Irwin, I knew that you had a Ph.D., but I was not aware that you were a minister. As such, I am a little surprised that you take so much time to personally attack President Trump with such anger. I am no minister, just a person seeking to be a decent Christian, but I will certainly keep you in my prayers.

Dale Lange Bella Vista

Don’t spend our reserves

Editor, In March 2017, our POA had $13,457,456 in longterm investments. As of March 2018, our POA has $0, nada, nothing, in longterm investments. This was our reserve. Our CEO and board have completely eliminated long-term reserves. I can’t imagine the penalties we had to pay to eliminate these investments.

Section 7.04 of the Bella Vista POA Policy document says “the primary

investment objective of the association is to achieve reasonable long-term growth on a total return basis that exceeds the rate of inflation by at least 2 percent to provide for the on-going maintenance and capital improvements.”

I asked Mr. Judson why long-term reserves were eliminated. His response, in part, was, “some of the funds we had in our longterm investments were, in my opinion, too risky for a POA.”

So, instead of restructuring our long-term investments, the POA eliminated them — not just part of them, all of them.

He went on to say it should be noted our net assets have increased by $6.5 million. That is true because, up to this point, we have already spent about half of our reserves. The other half of reserves is now in an account called “Cash and Short-Term Investments” waiting to be spent. This account, from March 2017 to March 2018, has increased from $3,879,522 to $10,620,503.

This $10.6 million is the money to use for all major capital projects. It is the money we will spend to repurpose the Bella Vista Valley, build a new golf course on the MO/ARK land, repurpose the Kingsdale Center (if we close both golf courses and put Papa Mike out of business), which not too long ago we spent $1 million remodeling, and on the new “Taj-Ma-Riordan Hall.”

Recently, the POA has undertaken major capital projects, including the Lake Point Events Center, the Country Club, Highlands, Scottsdale and Dogwood golf courses, task forces to study everything, a swimming beach, and on and on. These improvements are great, but we have to ask ourselves whether we should be spending all of our reserves on these upgrades.

Once this $10.6 million is gone, the only thing left is to borrow money and increase assessments to cover the interest payments. As POA members, we need to say, “Stop, don’t spend our reserves. Put it back.”

I would love to have a new car, but I’m not going to buy one just because I want it. I know I can’t afford it, so I’ll have to take care of and maintain the one I have.

If we want to ensure the long-term value of our homes and community, we need to slow down, replace our long-term reserves and develop a long-term plan with priorities that we can afford and fits our demographics. We need to vote for new board of directors members who will have this as their first priority.

Larry Blech Bella Vista

Elder Golf in Bella Vista

The Board has just voted to close Berksdale, and Kingswood is probably not far behind. For years, golfers have enjoyed the Berksdale and Kingswood golf courses because of their beauty, ease of play and the flat terrain. Many POA members, who are avid golfers, can no longer hump the hills and dells of the Highlands, Scotsdale or Dogwood. Having “flat” courses allows them to continue to play the game they love, stay active, enjoy friends and life.

I play with a number of golfers in their 80s, and one is celebrating his 90th birthday this year. These men are still out there, “hitting the little white ball” and enjoying life. They may not hit the ball as far as they once did, and they may be a little slower getting off the green, but they are still out there. I can only hope to be as active as they are if I live that long. Recently, after a round of golf at Scotsdale, one such golfer decided to quit the group because it was getting harder to hump the back nine, and he did not want to slow the group. How many rounds, how many years did he still have on a valley course?

What percentage of golfers in Bella Vista is in a similar circumstance, 10 percent, 15 percent or more? With each passing day, we are all getting closer to making a similar decision. Not everyone here is a scratch golfer, nor wants to play challenging courses with narrow fairways and elevated greens every round. Some just want to enjoy a nice day out with buddies on a golferfriendly, relatively-flat course like Berksdale or Kingswood. What about the nine-hole groups? There are nine groups identified as nine-hole groups in the 2018 booklet. How many of these will continue when told they can only play the Highlands or Scotsdale.

The current courses encompass a variety of terrains and appeal to many

different skill levels. Some may consider the valley courses boring, and others no longer enjoy the challenge of the Highlands, Scotsdale or Dogwood. As a property owner’s association, we should be accommodating the broad spectrum of golfers who live here, and we already have the courses in place. We don’t have to build a shiny new hilly course on the state line; we just need to maintain those we have.

If the board continues to ignore the wishes of the broader golfing community and continues on this misguided plan to close the valley courses, many “elder” golfers may be forced to give up the game they love. One option would be for the board to point these golfers toward the mini golf

courses at the Metfield and Kingswood pools. Beware, they may start charging a greens fee.

Maybe our money would be better utilized maintaining current POA amenities rather than spending $140,000 on a half a dozen yurts for mountain bikers who are not POA members.

Bill King Bella Vista