FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    John Yarbrough, Lee County Parks & Recreation
                (941) 461-7410

FORT MYERS, Fla. (October 3, 2001) – Lee County’s Parks & Recreation Department received notification Tuesday that it has received national accreditation – a rigorous process and prestigious honor that has been bestowed on only 33 other systems nationwide.

The Accreditation Program for Park and Recreation Agencies is administered by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, an independent body that is sanctioned by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA).

The NRPA, headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, is a national nonprofit organization devoted to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all Americans. It is the main professional organization for practitioners and has a nationwide membership of 23,000 recreation and park professionals and civic leaders.

With this designation, Lee County joins such other premier systems as Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, Asheville, North Carolina, and Scottsdale, Arizona. Lee County had to meet 153 standards to qualify for accreditation.

The nine-month, multi-part process included a self-assessment study that involved the entire local Parks & Recreation System – employees, volunteers, citizen boards and committees – in assessing the department’s effectiveness and efficiency. In July, a peer review was performed by a Commission-approved visitation team to validate the degree to which the department met each applicable standard. The team prepared a report, which was forwarded to the Commission for its final decision. Re-accreditation takes place every five years.

Lee County’s Parks & Recreation Department maintains and operates 3,500 acres of developed park land, 14 centers, 9 pools, five boat ramps, three Gulf beach parks, one lakefront beach, 76 beach accesses, 60 tennis courts, 73 ballfields, and 13 preserves. The department also manages the more than 7,500 acres of environmentally sensitive lands the county has purchased in the last five years through its Conservation 2020 Program. Its fiscal year 2002 operating budget is $16.2 million.

In the last year, the Parks & Recreation Department has opened a new water playground at Lakes Regional Park, began improvements to the 1,115-acre Hickey Creek Mitigation Park and Bowditch Point Regional Park, and was instrumental in the recent purchase of the environmentally significant Bunche Beach (730 acres). Other current projects include improvements and renovations to Schandler Hall Park in east Fort Myers and the development of POWER (Parks Online Web Enabled Registration), an online system that will allow residents to register for programs and reserve facilities over the Internet.