FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Brigitte Kantor, Lee County Solid Waste
              (239) 338-3302

COUNTY PASSES THE 110,000 CUBIC YARDS MARK IN DEBRIS REMOVAL

FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 30, 2004) - Lee County has collected more than 110,000 cubic yards of horticultural debris since the Hurricane Charley post-disaster recovery began.

As of Aug. 26 (last Thursday), Lee County had collected 111,025 cubic yards of debris (load tickets run several days behind because of time needed to input them into an accounting system). The county was collecting about 20,000 cubic yards a day last week, putting the total after today at nearly 200,000 cubic yards if extrapolated.

Here's a status of current activity of the 100 trucks that are now out on the road:

SFM Area - Started 8/19/04

• Working Villas and Plantation Rd area south of McGregor Baptist Church
• Pine Manor, Page Park, Beacon Manor, Briarcliff complete
• Should complete Island Park, Overlook, Brentwood, Pinecrest areas today or tomorrow AM
• Working Mcgregor W to River and neighborhoods east of McGregor
• Working the Forest and Paradise Park. Should finish Whiskey Creek Dr and all side streets today
• Working South Point and Tanglewood areas

Pine Island - Started 8/20/04

• Working St. James, Island Marina & lower Bokeelia areas. Stringfellow Rd complete
• Working Alden Pines, Areas E and W of Oleander Dr. Hort rebound in Bokeelia is approx 90% of 1st pass Hort rebound in Alden Pines is like Bokeelia

NFM Area - Started 8/26/04

• Moody Rd. should finish today. Palmona Pk complete, Piney Area 90%
• Working Waterway Estates. Working Suncoast (heavy area) probably for remainder of week
• Old Bridge area 80% work is moving E from here. Started area N of Bayshore at Winn Dix going E
• Started N side of Pondella

Captiva - Started 8/26/04

• Waiting for LCEC to finish N of Andy R Ln before moving to this area.
• W side Cap Dr, Blind Ps to 1st S should complete today. Cap Dr from 2nd S to Village 90%
• W side Cap Dr, between S's is 75%. Hazard trees are being felled, cut, and stacked at edge of pavement

The horticultural waste is being collected by a combination of clam bucket trucks, regular trucks and other county vehicles, including up to 30 from the county's Department of Transportation. The vegetation is then taken to six staging areas where it is ground up and eventually will be spread on designated preserve lands. The chipping areas are operating 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, with the hour from 6-to-7 to cleanup and complete paperwork.

The county is completing its first pass of collection in many areas. Residents should bear in mind that after the first pass, the second pass often results in collection of 70 percent more debris as homeowners bring more horticulture to the curbside to be disposed of. Therefore, many areas with debris along the roads already have been cleared once.