Aripeka Community Fundraiser "RAISE THE ROOF"

Aaripeka Community Center Fundraiser

4th Annual Halloween Spooktacular!

Happy Halloween

On Thursday October 30th at 7 PM, all the witches, ghouls, goblins and zombies will converge on Aripeka West for our 4th Annual Halloween Spooktacular!  This wll be a fun party, so come see your old friends and meet some new friends. Get your costume ready, we will have a Costume Contest.  We will be serving Witches Brew Stew, so bring a plate of "finger food"  and join us.  We would love to see everyone in costume, but if you do not have a costume, please join us anyway!

The Helicopter is FLYING!

When we hear the helicopter flying, we know that mosquito larve has been spotted!  The helicopter drops pellets over the swampy and wooded areas of Aripeka.  The pellets keep the mosquito larve for hatching.

Mosquitoes carry diseases that can be spread to both humans and their pets.  It is important for all residents of Aripeka West to keep their yards clear of any water that may be standing in flower pots, buckets or any other vessels that will hold water where mosquitos will lay their eggs to hatch.

Remember,

Spring Clening at Aripeka West

The month of March 2014 will be dedicated to “Spring Cleaning” here at Aripeka West. The park will be working to clean up any debris left on vacant lots and lots where vacant trailers sit.  We will do our best to make all of these Mobile Homes and Lots look their best.  We will be washing, trimming and doing any minor repairs we can.

We are asking every owner and renter at Aripeka to work to make their home and lot look its’ best too.  We would like everyone to stand in the street in front of your home, take a good look at what you (and everyone else) sees when they walk or drive past your home.  Most everyone will find something they can do to enhance the view of their home.

Then go around your home, looking objectively at the yard, if you see something that is out of place, stored improperly, broken or just plain junk, please remove it.  Only certain items may be stored outside of your home these items are limited to lawn furniture that is specifically made for outdoors and in useable condition, bicycles that are locked to keep them safe, grills and freestanding firepits that are in working order and hoses that are rolled up and stored on a hook (hoses may NOT be left on the ground at any time when not in use). Look under your decks and homes for trash that may have accident blown there.  If you have a dog, make sure that you clean up any existing “poop” and that you clean up after your dog immediately in the future.  If you smoke, please clean up any “butts” that have accidentally landed on the ground in the past and do not allow them to be thrown on the ground in the future.

If you have “trash” that you cannot take to the dump yourself, please let us know and we will try to help.

We will be having a Cook Out and a Bonfire near the end of March to celebrate a job well done!

Luck of the Irish!

Don't forget to return your RSVP for 

St. Patrick's Day Dinner and Music!

Remember...

The Christmas Soup Party is on Friday December 20th at 6PM in the RV Park by the Campfire!  Please bring a pot of soup to share and join us for good food and conversation!

There will be a White Elephant Gift Exchange for those who want to participate.  Gift limit is $10, it is one wrapped gift per participant.

There will be a contest for the Best Decorated Hat, use your imagination and get your hat ready!

If you need more information, please call 727-868-9324.

Bowling at Hudson Bowl!

 

The Aripeka Gutterball Bowling Association

 

Will begin it's conquest of the alleys at Hudson Bowl on Wednesday, December 18th at 6:30 PM.  We usually bowl play a three game series.  Food and drinks are available, good fun,

scores not important! 

 

 Any questions, ask Rob or Ali.

 

Let us know ahead of time if you're interested so we can make sure we have enough alleys available

Christmas Soup Party

3rd Annual Aripeka West

 

Christmas Soup Party

 

 

 

Friday December 20th at 6 PM in the RV Park.

 

White Elephant Gift Exchange

 

Christmas Hat Decorating Contest

 

Bring a Pot of Soup and Join Us

Aripeka Community Center Party Tonight!

Reinstating your PO BOX at the NEW Aripeka Post Office

You are required to have a picture ID and one additional piece of ID with you PHYSICAL ADDRESS on it.  The USPS calls this traceable identification.

The Park CANNOT help you on the picture identification, but if you have a problem with a traceable ID, we will write a letter for you to take with you to the Post Office.  In the past this is all that was required and we are hoping it will continue to be accepted.

For those of you living in the Mobile Home Park, your WREC (electric) Bill has your physical address on it.  Even though it is mailed to you PO Box, your physical address and lot number appear on it.

For those of you in the RV Park, it might not be as easy.  Check you automobile insurance, health insurance, tax return and other mail to see if your physical address appears on them anywhere.  As a last resort you or a friend can mail you a letter address like this.

YOUR NAME
9230 ELMIRA AVE LOT#
YOUR PO BOX #
ARIPEKA, FL 34679-0 followed by your 3 digit PO Box #

If your mail is always addressed this way, it will cover your traceable mail for the Post Office and for renewing your Florida Driver's License.

The Mail Comes to Aripeka Once Again!

The USPS has inform Carl Norfleet that barring any unforeseen circumstances the Aripeka Post Office will re-open on November 25, 2013.

This is certainly good news for those of us living in Aripeka West.  Not sure how you will get a key to your PO Box in the "new" Aripeka Post Office, guess you just have to go and ask.  Maybe there is a possibility they will put them in your Hudson PO Box like they did here when the Aripeka Post Office closed back in September.  We do not know if the PO Boxes are the same ones as before with the same lock or if they are new ones or maybe the locks have been changed.  Thinking we will know on Monday when they open the door to our "new" Post Office!  See you there!

The USPS Returns to Aripeka!

Today it is official, the USPS has again taken possession of the Post Office Building on Aripeka Road. It is not certain when the USPS will actually re-open our Post Office, but the lease is in place and they can begin their work!

For those of us who drive, going to the Hudson location to get our mail has been annoying and time consuming, but for those who for whatever reason do not drive, it has been a true hardship.  Re-opening the Aripeka Post Office is not only the right thing for the USPS to do since most of the people served by this location do not receive curbside delivery of their mail, but it is "right" for our community.

Thanks to all who wrote letters, made phone calls, signed petitions, attended meetings and worked with the media to help make this happen.  And a special "thank you" to Carl Norfleet, had he not stepped up to purchase the building we would have lost our Post Office in Aripeka forever.

Aripeka Post Office makes the News...Again!

New word on the Aripeka Post Office in the news Saturday October 26, 2013.

It has been a month and a half and now we hear they are considering us a "NEW" Post Office location.  Again, there is the "LANGUAGE" being used by the USPS.  The USPS seems to have a "LANGUAGE" all its own when it comes to getting things their way. 

All in Aripeka are hoping for an agreement between the USPS and Carl Norfleet regarding a lease agreement to RE-OPEN our OLD POST OFFICE or as the USPS refers to it, "A NEW POST OFFICE LOCATION!"

Community Yard Sale! Saturday Only!

 

Aripeka West

Community Yard Sale

Saturday October 26^th

8 AM till 1 PM

9230 Elmira Avenue Aripeka, Florida

From Pasco County, US 19 North to Aripeka Road left on Aripeka Rd 1.5 miles right on Elmira.  From Hernando County, US 19 South to Aripeka Road right on Aripeka Road 1.5 miles right on Elmira  From Hernando Beach and Weeki Wachee, Shoal Line to right on Osowaw following the Gulf , across the 2 bridges where Aripeka Road begins to left on Elmira.

Tools, RV and boating items, furniture, exercise equipment, copier/fax, kitchen items, Christmas decorations, space heater, lamps, label maker, books, craft items, Karaoke Machine, puzzles, small appliances and much more.

 Just need to come and see what all we have.  There will be plenty of signs in place to get you to the sale!  We have lots of parking, but the roads are somewhat narrow in the Park, please pull off the roads and onto the empty lots to park. Hope to see you there!

Anyone want to go Kayaking?

We had to cancel our Kayaking Trip scheduled for October 21st as there was no response from anyone about the trip.  Maybe it was not a good day for the trip, but a Monday was chosen because it is a quiet day on the Weeki Wachee River and we had a better chance to see the wildlife and enjoying the river at a slower pace.

If you are interested in scheduling another Kayaking Trip, please contact Gail and let her know what day is best for you and we can go from there.

Pasta Pot Luck

On Tuesday October 15th at 5PM we will celebrate the return of our Winter Guests with a Pasta Pot Luck Dinner.  Remember folks that "Pasta" doesn't only mean Italian!  I can think of many different ways to serve Pasta, from casseroles to salads and even desserts, check it out 

 So think out of the spaghetti box!
Please bring a dish and join us.
 

This is a great looking dessert, don't you think?

 

Pasta Salad anyone?

 

Pizza without the crust...

 

Even good old Mac & Cheese!

Month #1 with NO Post Office in Aripeka.

A full month has past since the Aripeka Post Office was CLOSED and those of us living on the Pasco County side of Aripeka remain without reasonable service from the USPS.

Those of us living in the affected area have friends and relatives who pay for postage to send us mail.  They pay the full amount for the postage, but are not given the same service for their money as they would if they were mailing to friends or relatives almost anywhere else in the United States.  Delivering our mail to an unwanted (even if it is free) PO Box seven miles away is just not the same as delivering our mail curbside.  There are existing nearby rural carrier routes, but the USPS will neither add to an existing route nor make a new route for those affected in Aripeka.  Just for the record, Aripeka is not in the middle of nowhere, we are located about a mile and a half west of US 19 (one of the busiest north/south highways on the west coast of Florida) on the Gulf of Mexico.

The closing of a neighborhood Post Office location would be traumatic in most cities and towns, but in Aripeka, it has been even harder to deal with because we do not receive curbside mail delivery to our homes. We relied on our local Post Office to receive our mail.

We are very sorry that the USPS has found itself in this sad state of financial distress, but closing a Post Office in a town that does not receive curbside delivery is unreasonable and unfair to the citizens of the community.

There are several Post Office locations in Spring Hill, Florida (just minutes from Aripeka).  The Post Office at 7341 Spring Hill Drive and the location at 8501 Philatelic Drive are a mere 3.4 miles apart and yet they both remain open even in the dire financial straits the USPS has found itself in.  Would it not make good financial sense to close the Spring Hill Drive location that appears to be a rental office and consolidate the two units?  It would cause very little problem for anyone in the Spring Hill area as all of those citizens receive curbside delivery of their mail.

What it all comes down to is MONEY or the lack of it on the part of the USPS.  It would have been less expensive for the USPS to deliver mail to those affected in Aripeka than to operate a Post Office, even with curtailed hours, but now it seems that the USPS will be able to save lots of money by just not servicing those affected at all.  A free PO Box in Hudson costs them nothing, since these boxes were not being used in the first place. 

Read this to see just how serious the USPS financial woes really are.

Aripeka West Community Yard Sale

Join in the fun and make a little money at the same time!  Aripeka West will have a Community Yard Sale on Saturday October 26th from 8AM till 1PM.

 

Please let us know if you will be participating so we can get our signs set up properly.  You will just set up your sale in your yard and we will have signs directing folks your way!

 

If you are selling something unique, please let us know and we will mention it in our ad on Craigslist.

 

Hoping this will be a big event!

We are organizing a Community Yard Sale.  It will be held on Saturday October 26 from 8 AM - 1 PM

Plan to join the fun and earn a little extra cash!  You will be doing your sale from your yard.  

Aripeka West will do the advertising and signs.