FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORT
MYERS, Fla. (August 20, 2002) – The
grounds crew that maintains the Lee County Sports Complex’s stadium baseball
field has won the 2002 “Best Overall” Award for best ballfield maintained in
Florida.
This is the first time the
county and Fort Myers Miracle has won the “Best Overall” Award.
They are a five-time winner of the “Best Municipality” Award for a
field maintained by a city or county.
In addition, Keith Blasingim,
Sports Turf Manager for the Miracle, was named the Florida State League Sports
Turf Manager of the Year.
The awards are 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 awards – given since
1990 – are selected by the Field Managers and Pitching Coaches of each team in
the League. Lee County won “Best
Municipality” in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2000.
A 13-member crew from Lee County’s Parks & Recreation Department
maintains the Sports Complex.
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 grounds crew also has to maintain 10 other adjacent fields –
including practice fields and public-use softball and soccer fields.”
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 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.