FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

BOARD APPROVES NORTHWEST LIBRARY DEAL,
MANATEE AND CONSERVATION 20/20 ITEMS

FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 13, 2003) - The Board of Lee County Commissioners today approved the following items during its regular weekly meeting. They are:

Regional Library - Approved the transfer of 7 county-owned acres at Del Prado Boulevard and Diplomat Parkway to the Lee County School District. In return, the county will be able to build Northwest Regional Library (40,000 square feet) on 6.2 acres of school-owned property adjacent to Mariner High School and Mariner Middle School at Chiquita Boulevard and Tropicana Parkway.

Manatee Action - Approved a motion 3-1 (with Commission Ray Judah dissenting and Commissioner Bob Janes excused absence) to send comments to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service opposing additional manatee speed zones in the Caloosahatchee River, as proposed. The motion commended the USFWS for lifting the "Area of Inadequate Protection" designation for the Caloosahatchee River, but also expressed concerns about the location and scientific basis for new speed zones proposed in the federal rules. The written comment period ends June 2. The Board also said it is committed to adopting and aggressively enforcing a Manatee Protection Plan.

Commissioner Judah dissented, offering a more conciliatory approach to working through the speed zone issue.

Conservation 20/20 - Authorized County Lands staff to pursue purchase of a 160-acre parcel through the Conservation 20/20 Program. The tract is located in the "Density Reduction/Ground Water Resource" are of the county south of State road 82 and east of Green Meadow Road. Asking price is $560,000.

Paratransit Contract - Awarded the paratransit portion of LeeTran's service to Good Wheels. The contract is for three years with two additional 1-year renewal periods. Under requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the county's transit service is required to provide door-to-door transportation services to the physically disabled within ¾-miles of any fixed transit route.

Landfill - Approved an agreement for Hazen and Sawyer to perform engineering, design, permitting and construction consulting for phase 2 of the Lee/Hendry Regional Disposal Facility (landfill). The Lee/Hendry County Regional Disposal Facility is a multi-phase facility intended to meet current and future county refuse disposal needs. Portions of the Landfill were constructed m 1996, 1997, and 2002, but due to sufficient capacity at Waste Management's Gulf Coast Landfill, the facility was not opened until October 2002. The initial fill area is approximately 12 acres and has capacity for up to three years. Construction phases will continue every 5 to 10 years. The next construction phase will include a fill area of from 12 to 17 acres and should begin the third calendar quarter of 2004. Detailed design drawings and specifications for construction will be provided by the consultant, along with (DEP) construction permit services. Construction will include a borrow pit, till, roadways, liner, and leachate collection systems.