• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • This Week’s E-Editions
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

       

Click to join our weekly e-newsletter

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices
    • Browse Notices
    • Place Notices

Ripa helps area build despite down economy

August 23, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Construction company thrives, two others step aside

By Kyle LoJacono

It is nearly impossible to drive through Pasco or north Hillsborough counties and not see signs for Ripa & Associates.
The company is currently working on about 10 construction projects, some for the counties and some for private developers.

Frank Laface (left) and Frank Ripa of Ripa & Associates at a past construction site.

“We’re proud to be a great presence in Pasco County and north Hillsborough County,” said Chris Laface, Ripa’s executive vice president. “The area has been very good to us and we’re honored to be given the chance to develop the area.”
Some of the larger projects the company is working include:

Collier Parkway extension, Land O’ Lakes
Concord Station Community, Land O’ Lakes
Road work in Dupree Lakes, Land O’ Lakes
Road work in Stonebriar Community, Lutz
Bruce B. Downs Boulevard widening, Wesley Chapel
CR 54 extension for the Cypress Creek Town Center, Wesley Chapel
The Medical Center of Trinity, Trinity

The most expensive contract completed by Ripa was $20 million to build roads and put in utilities at The Grove at Wesley Chapel. Echo Development hired Ripa to do that project, which was finished about two years ago.
The company also built Sunlake Boulevard extension in Land O’ Lakes and the extension of SR 56 to Meadow Pointe Boulevard and the development in Terra Belle community, both in Wesley Chapel. It also did roadwork and utility installation for the new Odessa Elementary School, Anclote High and Fivay high schools in Pasco.
In Hillsborough, Ripa completed the road widening and improvements to Van Dyke Road in Lutz in front of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North.
Laface said the number of recent projects was not uncommon five years ago when the economy was booming, but the current workload is higher than it had been for several months.
Pasco Chief Project Manager Robert Shepherd said the county does not play favorites when awarding contracts because public money is being used.
“Generally the county awards contracts to whichever company is the lowest bidder,” Shepherd said. “Ripa has been awarded quite a few projects. They’ve done a good job getting projects done on time or earlier and without much trouble at all.”
Ripa was founded in 1998 by Frank Ripa and is based in Tampa. The company has more than 200 employees and does earthwork, utility/infrastructure work and roadway construction in Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Hernando and other central Florida counties.
Ripa has even handled projects it did not win the bid for after other companies failed to complete work. Ripa picked up work on the SR 56 and Collier extension after another company filed for bankruptcy and lost insurance coverages according to Pasco Chief Engineer James Widman.

The project to widen Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in Pasco County is also being completed by Ripa.

Ripa put the final touches on the SR 56 extension, which opened July 31. Laface said the Collier extension is much further from completion as it was less than half finished when Ripa picked up the project about a month ago. Its project in Dupree Lakes, funded by Beazer Homes, will eventually connect the neighborhood to Collier.
Shepherd said Ripa was selected by the company that insured and bonded the original contracts with the first company. He said the bonding company is required to pay any additional cost above the contract, so no new county money is needed for those projects.
The contract for Collier was for $4.3 million and for Sunlake $1.5 million. The original contract for the SR 56 project was $60 million and was shared by three developments — Wiregrass Ranch, Wesley Chapel Lakes and Seven Oaks, according to Shepherd.
“They most have been able to do it for less money,” Shepherd said. “Otherwise the bonding company wouldn’t have picked them as it is money out of their pocket if it’s more expensive.”
Laface said the company has been keeping its bids as competitive as possible during the down economy to keep their workers and equipment moving. He said that will keep their name in the market and will benefit the company once the economy turns around.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. DAVID DUNDAS says

    September 4, 2020 at 8:23 pm

    What are they building next to Southport Springs on Chancey Road?

    Log in to Reply
    • Mary Rathman says

      September 10, 2020 at 12:48 pm

      I am sorry, we don’t know what is being built there. If you would like to check with Pasco County’s planning and development department, someone there might be able to provide the requested information. The number for the planning department can be found on the Pasco County website, which is http://www.pascocountyfl.net.
      B.C. Manion, Editor

      Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Sponsored Content

New Community Garden Arrives at Del Webb Bexley 

March 28, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

Exciting things are happening at Del Webb Bexley, the 55+ active adult residential community just off Sunlake Boulevard, … [Read More...] about New Community Garden Arrives at Del Webb Bexley 

TPA-Parkview-Myrtle

Imagine More at Mattamy Homes’ Area Communities

March 28, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

With every new home community, Mattamy Homes demonstrates their dedication to thoughtful details and meaningful value … [Read More...] about Imagine More at Mattamy Homes’ Area Communities

More Posts from this Category

What’s Happening

03/29/2023 – Adult Tabletop Games

The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will host an Adult Tabletop Game Night on March 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., for ages 18 and older. Games will include: big Jenga, life-sized connect four, dominoes, playing cards, assorted board games, and more. For information, call 727-815-7126. … [Read More...] about 03/29/2023 – Adult Tabletop Games

03/30/2023 – Watercolor painting

The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will host “Tween Hangout: Watercolor Painting” on March 30 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., for free after-school painting in the courtyard. For information, call 727-815-7126. … [Read More...] about 03/30/2023 – Watercolor painting

04/01/2023 – Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza

The Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, will host a Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza on April 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be bounce houses, games, music, food trucks, and scheduled egg scrambles. The event will be at the outside football fields and basketball court. Registration is required to participate in the egg scrambles. The cost is $3 per child. Children ages 2 to 10 can register with their age division and time frame at Secure.rec1.com/FL/pasco-county-fl/catalog. For questions, call 813-929-1220. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza

04/01/2023 – Cacti and Things

Kessler’s Cacti and Things will host its annual Spring Plant Sale on April 1 and April 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, at Bearss Grove, 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd., in Tampa. The event features thousands of plant varieties, and an assortment of specimen and collector’s plants. For information, email . For questions and directions, call 813-264-5614. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Cacti and Things

04/01/2023 – Dade City Art Walk

The Downtown Dade City Art Walk will take place April 1 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be more than 20 art locations for guests to meet the artists and shop local artwork, as well as a little Pre-Casso Exhibit for young aspiring artists. There will be an opening ceremony at 5 p.m., along with a map distribution, at Florida Cracker Lunch on Limoges. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Dade City Art Walk

04/01/2023 – Easter Bash

Hope City Church, 5513 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, will host an Easter Bash on April 1, for the whole family. Admission is free. For information, call 813-948-7555. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Easter Bash

More of What's Happening

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2023 Community News Publications Inc.

   
%d bloggers like this: