FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Yarbrough, Lee County Parks & Recreation
              (239) 461-7410

RED SOX FIELDS GARNER AWARD AFTER COUNTY IMPROVEMENTS

FORT MYERS, Fla. (September 14, 2004) - The Lee County employee whose crew maintains the City of Palms Park (Red Sox) baseball fields has been named 2004 Sport Turf Manager of the Year by the Gulf Coast League.

Billy Macphee and Rick Clay and their crew from Lee County's Parks & Recreation Department maintain the fields at the Red Sox stadium. The county took over maintenance and operations of City of Palms Park in December 2003. Before opening day for Spring Training in March, the county got the fields in tip-top shape as well as completing $1.5 million of renovations to the stadium, primarily painting, water proofing, repairing leaks, electrical and adding bleachers.

Properly maintaining a "Major League" caliber baseball 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 hitting cages.

The Gulf Coast League is a rookie league (one step below minors) affiliated with Major and Minor League Baseball. Based in Sarasota, it has 12 teams that play a 60-game schedule between June 21 and August 28. The Red Sox and Minnesota Twins both have Fort Myers teams in the League.

The Lee County Parks & Recreation grounds crews have garnered numerous awards over the years, primarily for upkeep at the county's Twins stadium. Keith Blasingim was recognized as the Florida State League (Minor League Baseball) Sports Turf Manager of the Year in 2002 and 2003. In addition, the county's grounds crew won the 2003 "Best Overall" Award for best ball field maintained in Florida and "Best Municipality" ball field in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2000.