FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

               Bob Taylor, Lee Construction & Design
               (239) 479-8306

CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN ON FIRST PHASE OF ESTERO COMMUNITY PARK

FORT MYERS, Fla. (October 6, 2004) - The Board of Lee County Commissioners will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Monday (Oct. 11) for the county's newest community park - Estero Community Park.

The ceremony will be at 9 a.m. off of Corkscrew Road east of U.S. 41 (signs will direct attendees to the access road for the park construction site).

Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah will serve as master of ceremonies. He will be joined by representatives of the School District and Estero civic leaders.

The park will be located on 65 acres bordered by Corkscrew Road, Estero High School and Williams Road. The 44-acre first phase will cost $11.5 million and include a 41,000-square-foot recreation center, a multi-purpose recreation field, picnic shelters, two playgrounds, two bocce courts, eight horseshoe pits, site preparation for the historic Boomer House, disc golf, a 5K cross country course, lakes, parking lot and landscaping.

The Estero community has been very active in the planning of the park - including participating in several public meetings with the architects of the park. Harvey Youngquist donated $250,000 to increase the size of the recreation center by 2,000 square feet. The Bonita/Estero Area Board of Realtors donated $25,000 to build a "tot lot" at the park.

The park is being built with community park impact fees accumulated from the district that includes Estero and a $6.71 million loan from general fund reserves that will be repaid from future impact fee collections. Repayment is estimated in nine-to-12 years, but could be earlier depending on new construction growth in the area.

The first phase of the park eventually will connect to a 10-acre complex near Estero High School off Williams Road the county completed in December 2000 that includes two, lighted football/soccer fields, a concession/restroom facility, and a parking lot.

When the park opens in late 2005/early 2006, citizens will enter the park on Corkscrew Palms Boulevard.

Eventually, the 11-acre Phase II construction project will complete the development of the community park and will include an elementary school, soccer fields, park maintenance building and various other improvements.

Architect: Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects

Construction Manager: J.L. Wallace Inc.