Area to get sturdier mailboxes

By MELANIE AVE

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 16, 2000

TAMPA PALMS -- Plastic mailbox posts will soon replace wooden ones in most parts of Tampa Palms.

Homeowners are being asked to buy the new, sturdier mailboxes with posts made of PVC. The mailboxes cost $277 each, which includes installation.

The mailboxes will be installed in phases, and there is no time requirement to buy them, said Maura Lear, manager of the Tampa Palms Owners Association. But she said mailboxes that are "decaying, falling over, duct-taped, mold-encrusted" should be replaced immediately.

The wooden mailboxes are being replaced because they deteriorate so easily, Lear said.

The replacements, from Mailbox Impressions in Lutz, will look like the existing gray ones, but will come with a 20-year guarantee, she said. Lear said 50 of the first 200 orders will get a 50 percent discount on the mailboxes.

Details will be provided in a letter mailed to all Tampa Palms homes.

Of the 1,900 homes in Tampa Palms, 1,250 eventually will have the new plastic mailboxes.

Communities with custom structures will not be required to buy the mailboxes. Such places include the Faircrest and Palma Vista condominiums; and the Kensington, Reserve, Sanctuary and Sterling Manor subdivisions.

For information, call the Tampa Palms Owners Association at (813) 977-3337.

Separately, the homeowners association has announced a face lift for River Park. New aluminum signs will be installed directing people to the park, Lear said. New benches, grills and picnic tables also have been ordered.

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