FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    Gloria Sajgo, Lee County Planning Division
                (941) 479-8311

HISTORIC PRESERVATION GRANT FUNDS AVAILABLE TO FIX UP OLDER STRUCTURES

FORT MYERS, Fla. (October 13, 2000) – Roughly $30,000 a year in rehabilitation grant funds is available to assist owners of older buildings in unincorporated Lee County to fix up their older, historic structures under the Lee County Historic Preservation Grant Assistance Program. The average grant award made is for $5,000; however, grants have been awarded for as much as $10,000 and as little as $800.

To qualify for participation in this program, a building must be about 50 years old and designated or qualify for designation under the Lee County Land Development Code Chapter 22, Historic Preservation. The structure must be located in unincorporated Lee County.

Lee County’s historic resources are major contributors to the quality of life enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. The purpose of the program is to help preserve these resources because they are valuable, contribute to neighborhood preservation and urban revitalization, are part of our area’s rural character, enhance our sceneries, and help give Lee County its identity and special sense of place.

The criteria used to evaluate an application includes: the percentage of total project cost to be funded by the grant and that to be funded by the applicant; age and historical significance of the property; condition and degree of endangerment of the property (i.e., urgency of the project); and project planning and plans for future preservation.

All applications are due by 4:00 p.m. December 8, 2000 at the Lee County Planning Division. Final selections are likely to be made in February/March, 2001.

To obtain an application or further information, contact the Lee County Planning Division, P.O. Box 398, Fort Myers, FL 33902-0398, (941) 479-8311, FAX (941) 479-8319. (The Lee County Planning Division is located on the second floor of the Lee County Community Development and Public Works Building at 1500 Monroe Street in downtown Fort Myers).