FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    Booch DeMarchi
                Lee County Public Resources
                (941) 335-2481

VIEW MILLENNIUM TIME CAPSULE ITEMS AT AREA LIBRARIES

FORT MYERS, Fla. (October 18, 2000) – A traveling display of items selected for Lee County’s Millennium Time Capsule will be at area libraries for the next two weeks.

The schedule is:

    Cape Coral-Lee County Public Library Oct. 18 - 19

    North Fort Myers Public Library Oct. 20 - 21

    Fort Myers-Lee County Public Library Oct. 23 - 24

    South County Regional Library Oct. 25 - 27

    Lehigh Acres Public Library Oct. 28 - 31

The time capsule will be buried November 14 at a ceremony at the Old County Courthouse in downtown Fort Myers. It is to be opened by future citizens of Lee County on November 14, 2100.

The county solicited nominations from the public in August and September for items to be included in the capsule. Nearly 100 suggestions were received and a citizens committee appointed by County Commissioners selected the final 25 items earlier this month.

The theme of the time capsule project is "Moving Forward into the New Millennium" and focuses on local items that may be of interest to future generations. The airtight capsule is approximately one foot by two feet by one foot, and is made of stainless steel. It will be buried across from the 1987 monument that celebrates Lee County’s centennial.

This will be the second time capsule on the courthouse grounds. A 1989 time capsule was sealed in the cornerstone of the Old County Courthouse to commemorate Lee County’s centennial in 1987 and rededication of the renovated courthouse in 1989.