Contact: Pete Winton

(941) 335-2777

LEE TV NEWSWRAP STORIES FOR APRIL 2000

FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 7, 2000) – For the benefit of news editors and reporters who may want to do follow-up, in-depth or update stories, Lee TV is featuring the following items in its April “Newswrap” broadcasts:

Complete Census Count Critical – Lee County needs to get as complete and accurate a count as possible of its residents during the 2000 Census now underway. The county’s participation in federal and state funding is determined by demographic information compiled from the Census. In addition, Census numbers help local planners pick locations for everything from roads to schools and parks.

First Phase of Jail Expansion Complete – County Commissioners and Sheriff John McDougall have opened a $9.3-million expansion to the county’s jail facilities that includes eight “sprung,” or tentlike, units that will house 512 male inmates. The project is the first of three phases that will expand the county’s jail facilities by 864 beds, add a Juvenile Assessment Center, and redesign the inmate processing facilities at the downtown jail.

Daniels Road Extension Started – Lee County has started construction on a 3.25-mile road extension that will open up Lehigh Acres to south Lee County, including important access to Southwest Florida International Airport and Florida Gulf Coast University. The $6.5-million Daniels Road Extension will connect Daniels Parkway where it now ends just south of the Gateway Community to State Road 82 and Gunnery Road in Lehigh Acres. The four-lane divided extension is scheduled to be completed by November.

Roads Paved in Bonita Springs – Lee County has completed a $950,000 paving and widening of two roads in Bonita Springs that will help prevent flooding and provide area residents with quick and safe access to Interstate 75, especially during hurricane evacuations. Prior to the improvements, East Terry Street from Kent Road to Bonita Grande Road was a private, dirt road. Bonita Grande was very narrow. The project paved and widened the roads to 12-foot lanes with six-foot shoulders.

Who Pays for Growth? – Economist Henry Fishkind recently gave a presentation to the Horizon Council on the impact the recommendations from the recently completed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will have on local growth and build-out if they are fully implemented. Fishkind explains how growth has helped fuel our economy and quality of life, and has allowed government to provide programs, projects and services without significantly increasing tax rates. However, the county needs to be prepared for when either economic factors or new regulations force that growth to slow.

Note: Newswrap can be seen on your cable access station immediately following Tuesday morning commission meetings and at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays; and following Lee County School Board meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month. To learn more about these stories, call Keith Smith (335-2665) or Pete Winton (335-2777).