FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pam Cox, Lee County Economic Development Office, (941) 338-3161
COUNTY/WATER
CONTROL DISTRICT OPEN TWO PARKS IN LEHIGH ACRES
FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 3,
2002) – The Board of Lee County Commissioners and the Board of Supervisors of
the East County Water Control District (ECWCD) on Friday will officially open
two new family parks in Lehigh Acres.
The ribbon cutting for
Charlie R. Matheny Park will be at 1 p.m. at 600 Joel Boulevard, located next to
Lake Camille. The ceremony for
Barbara A. Farrell Park will be at 1:30 p.m. at 1400 West 5th Street,
located next to Lehigh Acres Community Park.
Lee County Commissioner John Albion will serve as master of ceremonies.
Farrell Park and Matheny Park
are the result of the hard work of Lehigh Acres citizens and several government
agencies, and are named after two well-known community leaders.
Both
parks were funded and constructed by Lee County through its Community
Redevelopment Agency (CRA). The
CRA's Lehigh Acres Local Redevelopment Planning Committee secured the land and
assisted in designing both parks. Land
was donated in part by Lehigh Corporation and the East County Water Control
District has agreed to take ownership of both parks and provide ongoing
maintenance.
Farrell
Park – includes three pavilions
equipped with picnic tables, barbecues, bike rack and a pedestrian bridge (over
a canal) connecting the parking lot to the park.
Plenty of parking is available at the Lehigh Acres Community Park that
adjoins Farrell Park. Construction
cost was $76,000.
Matheny
Park – is located next to Lake
Camille and has three pavilions with picnic tables, bike rack, barbecues and
convenient parking. The cost was
$75,600.
Biographies of Charlie Matheny
and the late Barbara Farrell follow:
Every community needs a civic
leader and activist and those words go a long way in describing Barbara Farrell
during her Lehigh Acres days. She
moved to the east county community in 1978 and immediately got involved in
trying to improve the quality of life. She
served for two terms as a board member of the East County Water Control
District. After serving eight years
on the board, former Florida Governor Lawton Chiles declared November 4, 1997
“Barbara Farrell Day.”
Barbara was very active in the
Lehigh Acres Community Council, a civic watchdog group.
Her friends and peers quite often described her as.…“Possessed with a
great love for Lehigh Acres”…. “The brains behind so many civic
activities”….“Had a deep abiding desire for righteousness of those in
public office”….“A real fighter for Lehigh Acres”….“The lady you
call when you want something done around here.”
Aside from her civic activism, she found time to be a substitute teacher
at Riverdale High School and was a real estate broker.
Prior to her Lehigh Acres days,
Barbara served in the U.S. Army from 1943-68 and was a veteran of World War II
and the Korean War. She retired as
a Major in the Women’s Army Corps. After
her military days, Barbara was a civilian finance officer for the U.S.
government.
Lehigh Acres lost a true, loyal
and dedicated friend in 1999 when Barbara passed away at the age of 81.
She is survived by her two brothers, John Farrell, a Roman Catholic
priest of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island, and Joseph Farrell, a
financing advisor to an electric company in New Jersey.
When the local Lehigh Acres
Community Redevelopment District Committee members decided to name one of its
parks after a leading citizen, it seemed only appropriate that they name it
after “Mr. Lehigh.” And of
course, in the community of Lehigh Acres everyone knows that “Mr. Lehigh” is
Charlie Matheny.
Charlie has been employed for
33 years by the Lehigh Corporation. He
started with the company as a salesman in the St. Petersburg (FL) office and was
soon promoted to district manager. In
1971, he transferred to Lehigh Acres where he worked closely with the broker
program and then in 1984 took on the responsibilities of Commercial and Rental
Properties. He was the assistant to
several presidents of the company.
Charlie is known for his love
of the community and for his dedication to several community organizations and
non-profit boards. He served two
terms as president of the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce and was one of the
first presidents of the Spring Festival, a title he still holds.
He was a vice president and a board member of the United Way of Lee
County, president and board member of the Lee County Cancer Society, and
currently serves as president of the Lehigh Community Services.
Many residents fondly remember
him as a co-host of the popular TV show “Breakfast at the Matador Room” with
co-host Don Frankle. The popular
show featured timely guests and well known personalities in the entertainment
field.
Charlie and his beautiful wife, Willie, are truly part of the history of Lehigh Acres.