FROM THE H.O.A.P. PRESIDENT

Here we are at the first of December already and many of our neighbors are returning to the Park from the changing weather up North.

It is great to see everyone arrive.

We have started the process of developing our budget for 2008/2009, and hopefully we will have this all completed by December 3rd and ready to mail out to the Shareholders and Renters by the 14th of December. The annual meeting and election of Board of Directors will happen on February 14, 2008.

Anyone interested in being on the Board of Directors needs to get their name into the office and pick up the instructions on what is needed to have your name on the ballot. The deadline for applicants to submit written notice to be a candidate is January 5, 2008.

Enough on the budget and candidates.

For those who have yet to get here, you will see a beautiful entrance fully decorated for the holiday season, and a clubhouse that looks like something out of a story book. Thanks to all the work done by Sharon, Ken, Ron, Nick and Ron Schnulle. Great Job, Folks.

Well, enough from me…..please enjoy the holiday and drive safely--we are waiting for your arrival here and the fun of our winter together.

Bob Fogg

A. P. A. NEWS

Ho! Ho! Ho! December is here, and there are only 24 shopping days till Christmas. It will be January before we know it.

We have a new stove and gas grill to use for all our kitchen functions and events.

Keep your prayers coming for Bill Moorman, Virgil Zuspan, Vic Oesterling, Charles Berkshire, Emma Pulit, Linda Thomer, and everyone else who is recovering from surgeries and other

illnesses. Our sympathy and prayers go out to Marsha Strandell in the loss of her mother today.

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner for 69 folks with plenty of good side dishes and desserts made by the wonderful ladies of the park. Thanks to all who helped cook, set-up and clean up after the dinner. It was greatly appreciated.

We have several events forth coming for December, so be sure to watch your

calendar for specific times. Calendars can be picked up at the office, mailroom

and club house.

New Years Eve tickets will be on sale Monday Dec. 3 at APA meetings, and by seeing Sharon Page (Lot 1223) 941-639-7222 or Miriam Besaw (Lot 159) 941-505-4393. After Dec. 12, people out of the park will be able to buy tickets. Park residents will have first choice to get their tickets. So don't wait.

Ken and I would like to THANK the following people for helping to decorate the park for the holidays: Ron Harbin, Nick Nickerson, Jerry Dusek, Charlie Massanopoli and Jim Shaw for helping decorate the Park; Judy Young for the beautiful wreaths on the front doors of the club house; Mary Isom for painting the scene on the bingo machine (GREAT JOB!); Louis Papp for making the stand to hold the bingo board (GREAT JOB!); Ron Schnulle for all the work so we can keep things running. Without these volunteers the park would not look like it does.

GREAT JOB, BOB FOGG, ON THE CLEANING OF THE FRONT SIGNS AND FLAG POLES AND FLAGS.

They are a real asset to the park.

There is a RED CONTAINER on the mail room table for IN PARK CHRISTMAS CARDS.

Everyone traveling over the holidays have a safe and wonderful holiday.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

Sharon Page

APA President

VOLUNTEERS WANTED: Paul Steffan will post a new volunteer list in the office. Food help, landscaping help, and general help are all needed. Come and sign up!

Entertainment and Travel

With the Christmas season upon us, you might expect special programs and activities here at Alligator Park and we hope you won’t be disappointed. By this time you have seen the December calendar and the list of happenings in the park and a few community events.

We’ve scheduled good movies this month and invite you to come to those, enjoy being with friends, enjoy some treats while you’re being entertained. The residents of “Star Lane” (S.E. Manatee) are still adding decorations to their neighborhood. It’s a true fantasyland in the evening when the stars and lights shine brightly. The party they will host for all park residents is from 2-4 p.m. on December 13. Come; enjoy the festivities, good food, and friends.

Tickets are ready for the December 20 Christmas program brought to us by Fred and Sharon Moore. You will remember that it was Fred Moore who provided the extraordinary German program, “GEMUETLICHKEIT” last February following the International Potluck Dinner here. You won’t want to miss “Grubstake MacGregor and a Colorado Christmas” at 7:00 p.m. on December 20. We will serve lovely refreshments afterward. Tickets are only $3.50, available from Sharon (#1223), Miriam (#159) and at the park office. See the posted flyer in the clubhouse.

The Alligator Park Chorus will sing at the Sunday morning Chapel service on December 23. If you would like to sing, please come for the scheduled practices:

Thursday, December 6, 1 p.m.

Wednesday, December 12, 1 p.m.

Wednesday, December 19, 1 p.m.

We ask only that you have the ability to carry a tune, that you love to sing and will faithfully attend practices! No other special skills are needed, I promise. I know the director and I got that from the source!

For your Christmas Eve this year, please spend the time with loved ones and friends. In the “Doings in December” flyer we’ve also provided a short list of some of the area Christmas Eve church services. But plan to be with the park family for Christmas Day dinner. Sharon has posted all the information for that special event.

♥The 50^th Anniversary Party for 2008 will be a week later this year than usual…February 21 at 7 p.m. We’ve changed the date structure for eligible “honorees” so that it can include anyone whose 50^th anniversary is between April 1, 2007 or anytime during 2008, we would like to include you in this year’s party. Please sign up on the special poster in the clubhouse or the mini-hall. If you know someone who is eligible to be honored this year, please let us know or sign them up!

Now, about travel:

If you’re taking the 2008 cruise, please note that the document distribution meeting is Saturday, January 12 at 9:30. There will be refreshments, a prize drawing and special instructions given about your cruise plans. If you cannot attend, please ask someone to secure your documents for you or make special arrangements with Teri at Castaway Cruises at (888) 462-1434 or (941) 627-8795.

vLooking ahead, you will be seeing a posting soon for our overnight trip to Orlando, January 15-16 (Tues-Wed). Trip sketch: Traveling again with Ke-Ru Tours, our trip will include a stop in Lakeland at the beautiful Hollis Gardens. We will stay at the Quality Inn International in Orlando (within walking distance of stores and shops--for you shopping enthusiasts) and spend the evening at the Dixie Stampede for dinner and the show. After breakfast at the hotel (included), the bus will take us to Sanford Lake where we will enjoy a 3-hour “brunch & lunch” Romance Rivership cruise. We should be back in the park by 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. the second day. The price: $189/per person, based on double occupancy. Watch for the sign-up sheet in the clubhouse. Paid reservations must be received prior to December 18.

A one-day trip for the “Holy Land Experience” is scheduled for March 18. More details will be coming for that and a sign-up sheet, as well.

Welcome! Enjoy the season to the fullest!

Miriam & Jim Besaw

HEALTH WATCH

In a community like Alligator Park there are always friends and neighbors who need “healing” of one kind or another. The list this month includes:

Charles Berkshire #176

Jim Bough #A-9

Bill Moorman #186

Vic Oesterling #275

Emma Pulit #246 last yr.

Linda Thomer #282

Gail Thornton #93

Virgil Zuspan #1126

We send our concerns and good wishes to each one, and also to the caregivers who share the handicap that illness brings.

Our sympathies go to Evelyn Drake for the loss of her sister, and Marcia Strandell for the loss of her mother. Alligator Park cares!

Be careful what you flush!

Our Waste-Water plant operator has asked that we limit what items we flush down the toilet. Objects that don’t belong in the system are responsible for damaging several pumps. A simple rule is “Don’t flush anything down the toilet that has not passed through your body.” This means no cotton swabs, cotton balls, wipes, tucks etc. You get the picture.

If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there. Will Rogers

MANAGERS MESSAGE

JUST A DROP IN THE BUCKET?

Due to the current water restrictions being implemented by SWFWMD, the Board of directors will be considering ways to lower the strain put on our water system. As you are aware, we operate a reverse osmosis plant that produces the water for Alligator Park. All water that comes to your homes goes through the plant, assuring us clean and healthy water that meets or exceeds the standards set by the Department of Environmental Protection and the local health department. Each Tuesday, we see a major jump in the water consumption for the Park as a result of irrigation. One change being considered would be to allow watering on a street by street basis, spreading out our water consumption over the course of the week. Also being considered is limiting the allowed time for new planting watering to 60 days, down from 90 days, and allowing watering only by hose and nozzle. That would eliminate the problem of sprinklers being left on and forgotten about. Car or truck washing could be restricted to bucket washing only, and limits on power washing may stay the same as they currently are. You may not think that this is an important issue, but we are seeing water usage increasing by more than 12,000 gallons on each Tuesday. Look for postings for info on these changes.

THE TRUE COST OF VANDALISM

Alligator Park continues to be the target of one or more persons who don’t respect the Park or their neighbors. Keep in mind, the perpetrators of these actions are not coming in from the outside, but rather, are your friends and/or neighbors.

They are reaching into your pockets for the cost of repairs, and lost time as our maintenance men are cleaning up or repairing the damage, and are taken away from their normal and emergency duties. One can only guess as to their motivation.

In the past, most damage had been limited to the Multipurpose Building but recently, the Mini-hall was the target.

The Directors and staff have worked hard to reduce costs to the residents and shareholders of Alligator Park. Unfortunately, we have been forced into a position of having to purchase security cameras and recording devices in order to put a stop to this foolishness. Any person caught vandalizing Park or personal property will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and legal action will be taken to have them removed from the Park permanently.

WHEN WILL IT GET WARM?

We are talking about the water in the pool. The Board authorized, and we have ordered a new heat pump for the pool. It is scheduled for installation during the first week of this month. In an effort to reduce operating costs for the pool, we are accepting bids for a solar pool heater that would preheat the water and require the heat pump to run less often. Heat pumps operating costs range from $.48 to $1.00 per hour. The savings over a 2-3 year time frame would pay for the cost of the solar heater, and over 5-6 years pay for the cost of both the solar heater and the heat pump.

ANY SPACE AT THE INN?

Bookings for RV sites are ahead of last year, and Marcia gets more calls every day. If you have friends who need to escape the great white north, tell them to contact the office, by phone, e-mail, or in person to get their reservation in. You don’t want them to be left out in the cold.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Will Rogers

Worth Pondering
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around. Will Rogers