FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   

Contact:   John Yarbrough, Lee County Parks & Recreation
                (941) 461-7410

LEE COUNTY PARKS LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE REGISTRATION FEATURE

FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 17, 2002) – Lee County residents can now register and pay for county Parks & Recreation Department programs over the Internet – including reserving facilities such as park shelters. 

It’s called POWER (Parks & Recreation Online Web Enabled Registration) and the county has officially launched the site at www.leeparks.org. 

The application was developed by Dallas, TX-based Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), the county’s contract provider of information technology services. 

Types of programs available for registration include summer camps for kids, recreation and community center programs (including special events and educational classes), and reserving campsites and pavilions in parks. 

The system accepts program registration and the appropriate payment without human intervention.  People wanting to sign up for a program just need access to the Internet (from home, work or at any library) and a credit card.  They can do this 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

 “We already have a strong web presence, but you have to call or show up to register,” says John Yarbrough, county Parks & Recreation Director.  “E-commerce gives residents an additional, and very simple, way to access the county’s many parks and recreation facilities and programs.” 

After selecting the desired program, registrants enter all relevant information about themselves and their credit card number.  The system reserves the spot, deposits the money in a Bank “lock box” and confirms the registration with the applicant.  Strict security prevails throughout the transaction, audit trails are provided daily and private user information is kept confidential. 

Lee County’s Technology Vision is to provide all citizens, business, employees and guests with easy access to County information and services from anywhere at anytime.  “This application is a giant step in making that vision a reality while providing services to citizens at the lowest cost possible,” says Yarbrough. 

Lee County’s Parks & Recreation Department maintains and operates 3,500 acres of developed park land, 14 centers, 9 pools, five boat ramps, three Gulf beach parks, one lakefront beach, 76 beach accesses, 60 tennis courts, 73 ballfields, and 13 preserves.  The department also manages the more than 7,500 acres of environmentally sensitive lands the county has purchased in the last five years through its Conservation 2020 Program.  Its fiscal year 2002 operating budget is $16.2 million. 

The Parks System gained national accreditation last year and is a 2002 National Gold Medal Award Finalist.