FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   

Contact:    Pete Winton, Lee County Administration
                (941) 335-2777           

COMMISSION APPROVES DESIGN CONTRACTS/BEACH PROPERTY FUNDING

FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 14, 2002) – The Board of Lee County Commissioners today approved the following items during its regular weekly meeting.  They are: 

Gun Range – Awarded the design contract for the Lee County Firearms Training Facility, which will be used by local law enforcement agencies and also shooting clubs and tournaments.  The design contract, to architects Schenkel & Schultz, is for $515,000.  The $6 million indoor facility will be located near Lee County Mosquito Control in Lehigh Acres. 

Road Widening – Awarded the design contract for the four laning of Three Oaks Parkway from Alico Road to Corkscrew Road to David Douglas Associates.  The design contract amount is $1.36 million.  The 4.6-mile widening is expected to cost $14.1 million, with construction beginning sometime in 2003. 

Beach Property – Agreed to use $815,500 of county funds, along with $250,000 from the Town of Fort Myers Beach, as the match for a grant application to the Florida Communities Trust to purchase the “Newton” property on Fort Myers Beach.  The cost of the 0.8 acre beachfront parcel would be $2.1 million.  Commissioners left it up to County Administration to determine whether the money would come from General Fund Reserves or reserves in the county’s construction projects budget.  A loan from either of the reserves would be repaid with regional park impact fees.  The action does not preclude funding from other sources, if deemed appropriate. 

Emergency Supplies – Accepted a grant from the Florida Department of Community Affairs, through the U.S. Justice Department, for a trailer and cache of specialized equipment and supplies to respond to a terrorism incident.  The cost of the trailer, supplies and equipment is $270,000.  Seven response teams around the state are being outfitted with similar equipment.  The trailer will hook onto a Public Safety vehicle for transport and will include protective equipment (chemical suits, breathing apparatus), detection equipment, a small amount of medications and antidotes, and other equipment such as radios, gear bags, body bags and oxygen. 

Film Project – Unanimously passed a motion of support for an MGM studios film that may be shooting scenes in Boca Grande in late July or early August.  The motion picture is starring Denzel Washington and would film for about five days and nights on the island.