July 2015 Newsletter

It is SUMMER...

Are you hot enough yet?  With Temps in the 90's and "feels Like Temps" above 100°, it is time to make sure we drink lots of water, use lots of sunscreen and take it easy during the hottest part of the day.  If you have to be outside, make sure you know the symptoms of HEAT STROKE!

Heatstroke symptoms include:

·    High body temperature. A body temperature of 104 F (40 C) or higher is the main sign of heatstroke

·    Altered mental state or behavior

·    Alteration in sweating 

·    Nausea and vomiting

·    Flushed skin

·    Rapid breathing

·    Racing heart rate

·    Headache

If you suspect heatstroke, call 911. Then immediately move the person out of the heat and cool him or her by whatever means available, for example:

Put the person in a cool tub of water or a cool shower.

Spray with a garden hose.

Sponge with cool water.

Fan while misting with cool water.

Place ice packs or cool wet towels on the neck, armpits and groin.

Cover with cool damp sheets.

Let the person drink cool water or other nonalcoholic beverage without caffeine, if he or she is able.

Begin CPR if the person loses consciousness and shows no signs of circulation, such as breathing, coughing or movement.

And the symptoms of HEAT EXHAUSTION include:

·         Confusion

·         Dark-colored urine (a sign of dehydration)

·         Dizziness

·         Fainting

·         Fatigue

·         Headache

·         Muscle or abdominal cramps

·         Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

·         Pale skin

·         Profuse sweating

·         Rapid heartbeat

If you, or anyone else, has symptoms of heat exhaustion, it's essential to immediately get out of    the heat and rest, preferably in an air-conditioned room. If you can't get inside, try to find the nearest cool and shady place.

·         Other recommended strategies include:

·         Drink plenty of fluid (avoid caffeine and alcohol).

·         Remove any tight or unnecessary clothing.

·         Take a cool shower, bath, or sponge bath.

·         Apply other cooling measures such as fans or ice towels.

If such measures fail to provide relief within 15 minutes, seek emergency medical help, because untreated heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke.

After you've recovered from heat exhaustion, you'll probably be more sensitive to high temperatures during the following week. So it's best to avoid hot weather and heavy exercise until your doctor tells you that it's safe to resume your normal activities.

The Heat & Your Pets...

Remember that you pets are also subject to Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion too.  Take shorter walks and bring water along on the walks.  Don't allow pet to walk on any surface that is too hot for YOU to walk on without shoes, their feet burn easily!  DO NOT leave your pet in the car, not even for a minute, your pet could die.  Pets do best when they are left at home in the A/C and not going on outings in the Summer.  If you decide to take you pet with you in the car, please bring water for them and be sure they will be welcome at every place you are going.

Sunwest Park...

ARIPEKA — At noon on the Fourth of July, SunWest Park operator Patrick Panakos will open the gate for the first time, welcoming Pasco residents to the project that has been nearly a decade in the making.

There won’t be wakeboarding just yet. There will be limited swimming. None of that matters.

“The whole idea of opening on the Fourth was truly just ‘Let’s get this open,’ ” Panakos said. “The citizens have been waiting long enough.”

The parking lot holds 250 cars, and there is no overflow or street parking. Once it fills up, the gate will come down. And the party starts. Park guests will be able to swim until 6 p.m. and utilize the other amenities until 8 p.m. SunWest Harbourtowne developer Gary Grubbs is sponsoring a fireworks show that will start around 8:30 p.m.

Panakos said he wants to give people a chance to check out the park, have a picnic and watch the fireworks.

And then, beginning July 6, the park will open daily, and amenities will be available from noon until 8 p.m. “We’ll keep the gates open until 9 p.m. This allows people to stay and watch the sunset,” he said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano said he plans to attend, along with about 1,000 of his closest friends. “It’s extremely exciting,” he said. “Now we’ve got a mile worth of beach and a freshwater lake facing the Florida sunset. The quality of life for our whole county is going to improve.”

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said even though Saturday’s event is a “soft opening,” it still is a momentous occasion for the county.

“It’s the culmination of a lot of effort on the part of private vendors, contractors, the county commissioners and the community,” she said. “We’re a part of the nature coast, but we’ve not had much in the way of beaches until now.”

Panakos has hired his staff and invited lucky campers last week to test out the paddleboards, kayaks and inflatable aqua park.

“We have the only Wibit course in the area,” said Dusty Stone, the park’s general manager. The Aqua Park area features a trampoline and a series of connected ramps and towers.

The wakeboarding park featuring a two-tower cable system and obstacles will open in mid-July.

A second cable system will be added later. Panakos said the development usually takes about six months to complete — he has been on site only for two months. He toyed with the idea of waiting until 2016 to open but decided instead to open in a limited fashion this summer.

“The main thing we want people to understand is that it is limited,” he said.

The beach will have three swim zones with capacity for 120 swimmers at a time.

“Noodles” are allowed, but other floats are prohibited. Amenity rentals generally run about $10 per hour; wakeboarding will cost $20 for four people.

Best of Philly will be the exclusive food vendor, but guests are welcome to bring coolers. Smoking and alcohol are not permitted anywhere in the park.

Umbrellas and shade tents are allowed, as long as they don’t exceed 10-by-10 feet and have no commercial advertising.

An official grand opening celebration will be planned for later this summer.

Panakos said the staff also will offer sports activities such as beach volleyball, sand soccer and beach yoga.

Water Use at Aripeka West...

Please use our water sparingly...water use has been rising steadily for the last couple of months and it is summer, the time of year when we have less residents and guests, so water use should go down, not up. With the exception of rentals and new owners,  water has always been included in your lot rent in both the RV and MH Park, but it is NOT FREE.  

There are water meters on almost every lot in the park at this time and we have been reading the meters to assess the water usage of each residence.  Most of you are taking care with your water usage, but there seem to be some that truly believe that the county water that is provided to your residence is really FREE and no one pays...but you are wrong, very wrong, the water bill for Aripeka West is PAID by the Park, every month.  We are not  getting our water from a well, but instead it is metered to the Park by Pasco County Utilities.  

Please help us save water by repairing leaking toilets and faucets in your mobile home immediately if you are an owner, renters must report water leaks to Park Maintenance as soon as they become aware of the problem.  A "running" toilet can waste two gallons of water per minute. A silent leak in a toilet can waste up to 7,000 gallons of water per month.

In addition to the cost of water waste is the fact that a continuing supply of clean, safe water is not guaranteed to last forever, so please conserve for our future generations. 

Celebrate the 4th...

PASCO COUNTY

Freedom Festival presented by Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel
July 3, 2015 @ 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The Shops at Wiregrass
Join us for the 3rd Annual Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Freedom Festival and Fireworks Show and celebrate your love
for the community and our country. Activities include Bicycle Decorating Contest, Little Miss and Mr Firecracker Pageant, Watermelon Eating Contest and more!

Sparklebration

July 4, 2015 All day
Pasco County Fairgrounds Florida 52, Dade City, FL
Sparklebration is the annual celebration on Independence Day hosted by the non-profit Pasco County Fair Association, Inc.

City of Port Richey Waterfront Park Fireworks Display

July 4, 2015 @ 5 pm – 9 p.m.
Waterfront Park Port Richey
The City will be hosting a free fireworks display at Waterfront Park. The fireworks will be launched from a barge in Miller’s Bayou. Waterfront Park has play grounds for the kids, restrooms, picnic tables and is one of the best spots in the City to view the fireworks. Admission is FREE.

HERNANDO COUNTY

Firecracker Smash'm Up
At the Hernando County Fairgrounds
July 4th, 2015 Starts at 4 p.m.
Demolition Derby
Fireworks show, music, great food, contests, games and more

Canada Day July 1st...

Wishing all of our Canadian Friends a very Happy Canada Day!  See you in the fall!

Potluck Dinner at Aripeka CC...

Aripeka Community Club's July Potluck Dinner will be on Monday July 6th at 6PM.  Please plan to attend for some great food and conversation!  Bring a dish to share, everyone in Aripeka is welcome.

Scallop Season...

Scallop Season is officially open!  It will run from June 27th through September 24th.  Scalloping is NOT allowed south of the Hernando/Pasco County line, so you must head north to do your scalloping and be sure that you have crossed the county line, it is hard to tell from the water.  The daily bag limit is 2 gallons whole bay scallops in shell, or 1 pint of bay scallop meat per person.  The per vessel maximum is 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in shell, or 1/2 gallon bay scallop meat..

The Scallop Season is for recreational harvesters only and each person will need a Florida saltwater fishing license to harvest bay scallops, even when scalloping from shore.  There is no commercial harvesting allowed.

Have fun and happy scalloping!  Have heard the best places to scallop are in Citrus County!  This is supposed to be a good year!

Born on the 4th of July...

What do Malia Obama, Ann Landers, Neil Simon, Gina Lollobrigida, Calvin Coolidge, and Louis B. Mayer have in common? Apart from being recognizable figures in American popular culture and history, they share a birthday with our country: all were born on the Fourth of July.

Despite their patriotic birthdays, some of these folks weren't even born in the United States. Gina Lollobrigida was born in Subiaco, Italy, and made several Italian films before launching her career as a star in American movies in the 1950s.

Movie executive Louis B. Mayer was born in Russia and personified the American dream as he worked his way to the top of the movie industry through industrious labor and a timely merger with Samuel Goldwyn's company to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He revolutionized the industry with his introduction of the "studio system," which placed big-name stars under contract with a particular studio and lent each production studio its own distinct reputation for the types of films it turned out.

Michelle and Barack Obama's daughter, Malia Ann Obama, was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1998.

Other entertainment personalities were born right here in the US, including Bronx-born playwright Neil Simon, known for comedies such as Barefoot in the Park (1963), The Odd Couple (1964), Plaza Suite (1968), and Biloxi Blues (1984), which were also made into films. He also wrote a number of screenplays not based on existing works, including The Goodbye Girl(1977), California Suite (1978), and The Marrying Man (1991).

Actress Eva Marie Saint was born a little further south of Simon, in Newark, New Jersey. She is perhaps best known for her role opposite Cary Grant in Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959), one of the American Film Institute's recently announced picks for the top 100 films.

Advice twins Ann Landers and her sister Abigail Van Buren (better known as Dear Abby) were born in Sioux City, Iowa.

A few other Fourth of July babies: Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, whimsical cartoonist Rube Goldberg, and quintessential American songwriter Stephen Foster.

But the prize for the person born on July 4 holding highest public office goes to Calvin Coolidge, born in Plymouth, Vermont on July 4, 1872. Perhaps not surprisingly, he is the only president born on July 4; however, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe all died on the Fourth of July, as did modern-day lover of bucolic Americana, Charles Kuralt.

July Calendar...