FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   

Contact:            Elly Soto McKuen, Community Redevelopment Agency

(941) 338-3161

 

                       

COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY UNVEILS LANDSCAPING PROJECTS

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. (September 22, 2000) – The Lee County Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) on Tuesday (Sep. 26) will dedicate $500,000 of landscaping projects along State Road 80 and Lee Boulevard that have added trees, shrubs and groundcover to further beautify these two major thoroughfares.

 

The State Road 80 ribbon cutting ceremony will be at 1 p.m. at William B. Davis Russell Park Community Center, 290 Miramar Road.  The Lee Boulevard ribbon cutting will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce, 4109 Lee Boulevard.

 

The State Road 80 Landscape Improvements run from Prospect Avenue to Orange River Boulevard in East Fort Myers and consist of the replacement of dead, dying or missing royal palms and adding royal palms, shrubs and groundcover in the median near Interstate 75 and flowering trees along the Interstate ramps.  The CRA and State Road 80 Planning Committee developed the plans and the CRA paid for the $267,635 project cost.  The State Road 80 Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) will pay for the continuing maintenance because the type of landscaping is above the “core level” of landscaping the county provides.  A Phase II planting of oak trees and cabbage palms will run from State Road 31 to Buckingham Road, and planned phases III and IV will landscape from Orange River Boulevard to State Road 31 and Buckingham Road to Hickey Creek if matching dollars can be raised.  The East Lee County Civic Association is working with developers, community leaders and business owners to raise the matching funds.

 

The Lee Boulevard Landscape Improvements run along a seven-mile stretch from State Road 82 to Homestead Road and consist of crape myrtles, live oaks, cabbage palms, washington palms, magnolias and holly. The CRA and Lehigh Acres Planning Committee developed the plans and the CRA paid for the $234,025 project cost.  Because the improvements are considered “core level” landscaping, the county also will pay for the continuing maintenance.