FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    Ed McIntyre, Parks & Recreation
                (941) 338-3355 or
                Keith Blasingim
                768-4225

FORT MYERS, Fla. (November 7, 2000) – The grounds crew that maintains the Lee County Sports Complex’s stadium baseball field has won the 2000 "Best Municipality" Award for best ballfield maintained by a Florida city or county.

The award is given each year by the Class A Florida State League of Minor League Professional Baseball, which includes such teams at the Charlotte Rangers, Sarasota Red Sox, Tampa Yankees and locally based Fort Myers Miracle. The Lee County Sports Complex – which is home to the Miracle – was one of 14 stadiums across the state competing for the award.

The award – given since 1990 – is selected by the Field Managers and Pitching Coaches of each team in the League. Lee County also won in 1991, 1993, 1996 and 1999. A 13-member crew from Lee County’s Parks & Recreation Department maintains the Sports Complex.

"This award represents a lot of hard work by Lee County’s crew," says Derek Sharrer, general manager of the Fort Myers Miracle, "especially when you consider that at many of the stadiums owned by the Major League affiliates, the crews devote all their time to one field. At the Sports Complex, the grounds crew also has to maintain 10 other adjacent fields – including practice fields and public-use softball and soccer fields."

Properly maintaining the stadium is a 365-day-a-year job, including daily maintenance of both the stadium and fields, mowing, fertilizing, sod replacement, landscaping, preparation of pitching facilities and upkeep of the indoor hitting cages below the stadium.

The 80-acre Lee County Sports Complex was completed in 1991. Its main stadium – the 7,500-seat William H. Hammond Stadium – has been the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins since March 1991 and home of the Fort Myers Miracle since 1992.

The $15-million complex includes four tournament-caliber softball fields, two soccer fields and the stadium, which has four associated practice fields, 10 indoor hitting tunnels and training facilities. The bonds used to finance its construction are being repaid with a portion of the local 3 percent tourist tax on room stays less than six months, and annual rents from the Twins organization.