FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    Bill Hammond, Lee County Administration,
                335-2221
                Bill Smith, Minnesota Twins,
                768-4203

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 6, 2001) – The Minnesota Twins and Lee County will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Lee County Sports Complex Wednesday night (March 7) with a fireworks show and by honoring community leaders who were instrumental in building the facility and bringing the Twins to Lee County.

A pre-game ceremony will recognize current and former County Commissioners, county staff members and community leaders involved in the location of Twins Spring Training to Lee County a decade ago. The ceremony will begin at about 6:45 p.m. prior to the 7:05 p.m. game between the Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays. The fireworks will be after the game and are being presented by Beazer Homes.

Construction of the 80-acre Lee County Sports Complex began in October 1989 and was completed in time for the 1991 spring training season. Its main stadium – the 7,500-seat William H. Hammond Stadium – has been the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins since March 1991 and home of the Class A Florida State League’s Fort Myers Miracle since 1992. The Twins were World Series Champions in 1987 and 1991.

It is estimated by the Florida Sports Foundation that Twins Spring Training generates a local economic impact of more than $24 million a year.

"This has been a wonderful partnership," says Deputy County Manager Bill Hammond. "The Minnesota Twins are an outstanding organization to work with and they give back so much to the local community. We couldn’t ask for a better professional sports organization to be associated with."

The $15-million complex includes four tournament-caliber softball fields, two soccer fields and the stadium, which has four associated practice fields, 10 indoor hitting tunnels and training facilities. The bonds used to finance its construction are being repaid with a portion of the local 3 percent tourist tax on short-term room rentals, and annual rents from the Twins organization.

This spring training season also will mark the milestone of the one-millionth fan attending a Twins Spring Training game, which will happen March 15. Annual attendance figures for the last 10 years are:

   (1991) 123,753,     (1992) 119,920,     (1993) 90,503,     (1994) 100,930,     (1995) 69,245,
    (1996)   80,027,     (1997)   89,743,     (1998) 90,523,     (1999)   85,527,    (2000) 99,432.