Advanced notice was given to regular patrons of the Tierra del Sol Recreation Center building, swimming pool, tennis, bocce and shuffleboard courts via signage that beginning Monday, Aug. 25, the recreation complex would be closed until spring.
Demolition of the small facility, built in the 1990s, is planned — to be replaced by a much larger, multi-purpose structure. For years, people at the rec center would have to go outside to rest rooms by the pool. When the re-building is done, there will be adequate indoor restrooms and several meeting rooms.
People who have been routinely playing cards and trivia games, doing needlework and attending an  Italian language classes at the small Tierra del Sol enclosure are not happy they will have to move to another venue for at least six months. The same is true for the dozens of people who used the adult pool for swimming, exercise, sunbathing and just socializing. While they acknowledge the new center will be more spacious, many people don’t adapt readily to change.
Although no heavy construction equipment is yet on site, preparations are being made for the project. Protective green screening has been hung all around the large construction area, and a portion of the parking lot, which formerly had space for six rows of 24 cars, has been fenced off with ‘no trespassing — construction site’ signs. The small existing building has been stripped; the pool gate is locked, and trees which must be moved to make room for the construction have been marked with red tape.
A worker with Mark Cook Builders said actual demolition is likely to start on or about September first. The preparations are aimed at keeping pedestrians safely away from operations; to contain any debris and sand kicked up by the bulldozers, and to disrupt neighboring areas as little as possible. “There are a few homes very close to where we will be working, and we want to keep dust and noise to a minimum. We also don’t wish to distract golfers or chase restaurant patrons away.
Golf course staff at the Tierra del Sol professional course explained slight detours golfers would need to make to complete the eighteen holes. By the first hole, the golf cart path has been blocked. Carts must now proceed along a well-marked grassy area. Already tracks from golf carts are etching their presence into the new unpaved path. Also, the path to the tenth hole is blocked, so arrows direct golfers out onto a side street and around the rear of the Tierra del Sol Restaurant.
When renovation plans for Tierra del Sol Recreation Center were first announced, there was some confusion regarding whether the adjoining swimming pool, golf course or restaurant would also be closed…and again, now that actual site preparation is ongoing, rumors and misinformation abound.
 The pool will be closed until the project is completed; but the golf course and restaurant remain open.
“This has been very upsetting to us,” Jacquie Tokas, co-owner of the Tierra del Sol Restaurant, with her husband, Pete Tokas, said. “We lost a lot of business two years ago when the golf course was closed for several months for repair, and there has been a lot of recent confusion again about whether the restaurant is closing, temporarily or permanently. We need everyone to know — we are NOT closing!”
Being off the “beaten path,” has at times made it tough for Tierra del Sol restaurant. But hard work has helped the restaurant overcome that hurdle.
“We have built a good business, with good food,” Village of Mallory resident Pete Tokas said. “We have been here for six years, and we are struggling again because of all these things happening around us. It’s not right — it’s just not fair.”
Starters at the golf course have had similar calls.
“We’ve had a lot of calls from regular customers, asking to cancel their standing weekly lunch or monthly dinner dates,” Pete continued. “They were asking when we will re-open. Our front desk hostesses, our bartenders and kitchen staff have had to tell many people the rumors are false, and we are feeling very frustrated about the mis-communication. We feel very bad — how else should we feel?” Tokas said, throwing up his arms. “The Lunch Rotary comes here, the Democratic Club, the University Women, the Red Sox Nation, the retired New York Police Department group — lots of regular diners, plus golfers and others who come for our dinner entertainment.”
In addition to its regular menu, Tierra del Sol is well known for its Pizza Menu, its breakfast pancakes and its Sunday Brunch Buffet, It’s Friday Night Fish Fry events, with fried, baked or blackened fish, are well attended, and the Saturday night ‘Pasta Experience’ features customized dinners — with patrons ordering their choice from a wide selection of pastas, toppings and sauces. Gluten-free and whole-wheat pastas are included. Perhaps most talked about is the ‘Singing Waiters,’ arranged by Maestro Bill Doherty, who perform most Sundays through Wednesdays starting at 5 p.m. During upcoming months and into 2015, signature shows with performers from The Villages Lyric Opera will also be offered.
“We are happy this rec center is expanding,” Jacquie Tokas said. “That is a good thing for everyone, and will likely even bring more business to the restaurant. But we just can’t afford to have people avoid our place because they think we are closed.”
And the restaurant caters to special events.
“We were happy to provide the catered food for the VIPs and backstage people involved with Fernando Varela’s concert series at the Savannah Center,” Pete Tokas said proudly. “Fernando and his family love our food. We provided great Italian dishes, lobster tails, prime ribs, and lots of desserts. We love living here and being a part of The Villages lifestyle.”
