FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jim Lavender, Lee County Public Works, (239) 479-8301

LEE COUNTY AGENCIES/SHERIFF'S OFFICE TO HOLD GUN RANGE GROUNDBREAKING JANUARY 08, 2004

FORT MYERS, Fla. (December 31, 2003) - Lee County Government, the Lee County Sheriff's Office and the Lee County Mosquito Control District will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the county's new firearms training facility Thursday, Jan. 8 at 11 a.m.

The ceremony will be at Mosquito Control District Headquarters, 15191 Homestead Road in Lehigh Acres. County Commission Chairman John Albion will serve as master of ceremonies. The Lee County Gun Range will be operated by the Lee County Sheriff's Office for area law enforcement agencies and the general public.

The 52,000-square-foot indoor facility is being built at Buckingham Air Field on property leased to the county by the Mosquito Control District. The facility will cost $7.38 million. However, the use of non-toxic ammunition will result in a reduction of construction costs by nearly $400,000 and a reduction in annual operating costs by more than $225,000.

The facility will be divided into public and law enforcement use. Along with the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the facility will be open to 19 other law enforcement agencies in surrounding counties.

The entire gun range area will be completely encapsulated with one-quarter inch thick, AR500 ballistic resistant steel. An enhanced air conditioning/heating filtration system will circulate an above average requirement of outside air that will be monitored by a CO detection system.

The law enforcement gun range, with 22, 50-meter lanes, will be operated by an advanced computer control system with the ability to run different tactile training scenarios. The user-driven control system also will control lighting that emulates various low-light conditions. The 14 public lanes will use a retriever system where the operator can vary the target range up to 25 meters.

In addition to housing advanced operating systems, the facility has been designed with higher than normal structural requirements because of its secondary use as a disaster command center. The building will be equipped with a generator, provide the shell for a command center room and will house Mosquito Control helicopters during storm conditions.

Other building components include administration areas for the Lee County Sheriff's Office training and support staff, two classrooms for public and law enforcement training, a gun-cleaning room, and a gunsmith area for repairs and law enforcement weapon maintenance.

With the facility's grand opening in early 2005, it will be one of the most state-of-the-art gun ranges in the United States.