Contact: Pete Winton

(941) 335-2777

LEE TV NEWSWRAP STORIES FOR MARCH 2000

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 13, 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 March “Newswrap” broadcasts on cable access:

New Animal Services Building – In February, Lee County celebrated the opening of its new Animal Services Center. The 19,000-square-foot, $1.8 million facility houses an animal shelter, spay/neuter clinic, exam rooms and adoption areas for prospective owners to visit with animals. Lee County took over animal control operations in January 1999 after the contract with the Humane Society expired. More than 10,000 animals pass through the center each year.

LeeScape Dedication – Lee County has completed the first in a series of projects intended to improve the county’s appearance by landscaping local roadways. The Daniels Parkway Landscape and Irrigation Project – which extends one mile along Daniels from Jetport Commerce Pkwy. to Chamberlin Pkwy. – is the county’s initial LeeScape project. The $310,000 landscaping includes live oaks, sabal palms and East Palatka hollies. LeeScape is the name given to Lee County’s Roadway Landscaping Master Plan, approved by the County Commission in October 1998 after a consultant and citizens advisory committee (the Roadway Landscape Advisory Committee) spent 11 months holding public meetings and drafting the 181-page plan.

Manatees Main Attraction at Park – Manatee Regional Park is a prime spot this time of year for seeing the West Indian Manatee. Located along State Road 80 where the Florida Power & Light Plant discharges warm water into the Orange River, it’s not unusual to see 60 to 70 manatees visit the park daily. Built in 1996, the park attracts some 120,000 visitors a year and also has a visitor center, picnic shelters, kayak rentals and butterfly garden.

Citizen of the Year – The Board of County Commissioners recently honored Jim & Ellie Newton as the winners of the 1999 Paulette Burton Citizen of the Year Award. The Newtons were honored for their numerous philanthropic contributions to the citizens of Lee County, especially their commitment to educational programs. Jim Newton, who passed away Dec. 13 at the age of 94, knew a lot of people – including greats like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Charles Lindbergh and Dr. Alexis Carrell – and helped many more through his good deeds here at home and close ties to the community. His legacy lives on through the Uncommon Friends Foundation formed in 1993.

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).