FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Pete Winton, Lee County Administration
              (239) 335-2777

BOARD APPROVES CAUSEWAY EXPENDITURES/
APPLIES FOR LIBRARY GRANT

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 25, 2003) - The Board of Lee County Commissioners today approved the following items during its regular weekly meeting. They are:

Sanibel Causeway - Approved emergency expenditures of $536,438 for Sanibel Causeway Bridge expenditures since January, including $359,249 to Zep Construction for the replacement of a section of the B span. Other costs include bracing of the C and A spans, and costs of consulting engineers.

Regional Library - Authorized application to the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services for a $500,000 construction grant for Northwest Regional Library, to be built next to Mariner High School in Cape Coral. Construction of the library is planned to begin in late 2004. The county also is planning to begin construction of Lakes Regional Library south of Fort Myers in October for completion in December 2004.

Legislative Action - Voted 4-0 (Commissioner John Albion absent) to oppose House Bill 1005 in its current form. The proposed bill, now in the Legislature, eliminates current statutory language that allows communities to apply and receive "water reservations." In August, the Board of County Commissioners applied to the South Florida Water Management District for a water "reservation" for the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary. A water reservation is an agreement provided by state law to allocate a certain amount of water to an area (in this case for natural resources/environmental purposes) and takes precedence over other water-use permits. This would ensure adequate water flow down the river in the dry season to protect our estuaries and prevent saltwater intrusion into the Caloosahatchee River. Also passed a resolution requesting the Florida Legislature maintain stat funding for juvenile day treatment facilities and programming such as the Associated Marine Institutes and PACE Center for Girls.

Road Resurfacing - Approved the countywide road-resurfacing contract to APAC-Florida Inc. for repaving projects in Lehigh Acres, North Fort Myers and South Fort Myers. Contract is for $819,625 with completion in six months.

Exotic Removal - Approved a $19,991 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to remove exotic vegetation on 42 acres at Caloosahatchee Regional Park.