Towne Lake Garden Association

Okay.

I agree.  My single caveat would address your final remark.  Some criminals are finding the gate useful.  The reduction of police presence increases clandestine drug activity and scofflaws hide vehicles in the community that would otherwise be impounded for failing to comply with state registration and inspection requirements.

I suspect the pros far out number the cons with respect to removing the gate.

I don't want to start a fight here. I do want to say, tho, that when we bought our house in Towne Lake, we bought it for several reasons:

1) We liked the house

2) The lake

3) The gate

4) The schools

We have since found out that Gemcraft built our (and other) homes here with sub-standard materials. We've dealt with that, although it's affected our home's value.

We've been so-so with the schools, mostly due to NCLB, but also because of the lack of support of surrounding neighborhoods and the general disinterest of teachers and administration. That's something we work with, and around, as we can, and we don't think it would be much different in other school districts, although it might certainly be cheaper, tax-wise, than in NEISD.

We have greatly enjoyed the lake, despite the mosquito and fire ant problems. We feel if the lake weren't a part of Towne Lake, we would have no reason to live here. Without the lake, we would be much better served by living in a neighborhood that had a swimming pool, tennis courts, playground, babysitting collective, community center, etc., etc., as so many other neighborhoods in SA do. The lake makes living here worthwhile.

We think the gate does deter some people from wandering around our streets at will. When we look at the other neighborhoods nearby, we see very obvious vandalism, much wilder drivers, more kids and adults loitering around. Yes, there are some people who live here who are trash, but that happens wherever you are, from the most depressed areas to the most proud, no matter the price stickers on the homes.

I guess, bottomline for us is: if the gate and the lake go away, there's no reason for us to stay unless we can't sell our house -- which is a distinct possibility in today's market anyway, and becomes more problematic if the gate and lake are gone.