FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

COUNTY/SCHOOL DISTRICT TO OFFICIALLY OPEN VETERANS PARK RECREATION CENTER

WHAT: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Veterans Park Recreation Center

WHEN: 11 a.m., Saturday, December 11, 2004

WHERE: Veterans Park, 55 South Homestead Road, Lehigh Acres, on the campus of the Veterans Park Academy of the Arts elementary school.

MASTER OF CEREMONIES: Commissioner John E. Albion

OTHER: The public is invited to attend; refreshments courtesy of Movie Gallery and American Business Women's Association; activities provided by Lee County Parks & Recreation.

BACKGROUND:

In November of 1993, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony to open Community Park South (as it was known then; name changed to Veterans Park as of November 11, 1994) with large pavilion, basketball court, playground, skateboard track and a jogging/walking course. A few years later two baseball fields were added. Those park and recreation facilities were great news for the children and adults in Lehigh Acres at that time. It's now a decade later and the population of Lehigh Acres has increased in 'leaps & bounds.' More recreational facilities were needed to meet the increased demands of a growing community. What was sorely missing from the park was a recreation center. But those kinds of facilities are very expensive to build and maintain. In order to expedite matters the Lee County Board of County Commissioners and the School District of Lee County joined hands to pool resources and staff to get this wonderful facility built. The County contributed the land for the facility, $4 million towards the construction cost and associated road and parking improvements. The School District served as the construction manager and built the free standing $22 million recreation facility.

This facility will double as a gymnasium for the Veterans Park for the Arts ( Kindergarten through 8th grade ) during the school day and a recreation center for the Department of Lee County Parks and Recreation during after school hours and weekends. In the recreation center portion of the building there is an office area, meeting room, teen lounge, game room, arts & crafts room and a serving kitchen. Additionally there is a computer lab, two dance studios, ceramics room, art room and two multipurpose rooms. The gymnasium, however will dominate the 32,000 square foot building. It has two basketball courts and can accommodate two volleyball courts. The gym is complete with seating and scoring tables for each sport. Besides the basketball courts there are men's & women's locker rooms and a weight room.

The Veterans Park recreation facility is the first of its kind to open in Lee County for Parks & Recreation. This facility will serve all ages and provide programs in aerobics, pilates, kickboxing, ceramics, art class, tae kwon do, tai chi, karate, dance, cheer leading, computer classes, English classes, along with youth-adult-senior leagues to include basketball, indoor soccer and volleyball. The facility and programs will bring Lee County Parks & Recreation into a new generation of recreation. The staff is very excited to finally offer a quality recreation facility and programs that lives up to its high departmental standards and looks forward to working with the citizens of Lehigh Acres.