September 25, 2002, $4.75 Million Available for Lake Okeechobee Phosphorous-Reduction Projects

September 25, 2002

$4.75 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE PHOSPHORUS-REDUCTION PROJECTS
Informational meetings set for Oct 17 and Oct 24

AnEta Sewell
Director, Media and Community Relations

The South Florida Water Management District is re-soliciting for
participation in the Lake Okeechobee Regional Public-Private Partnership
Program. The program provides $4.75 million for regional projects that
reduce phosphorus loading to Lake Okeechobee. To ensure that potential
partners are informed on program objectives and response requirements, two
roundtable meetings will be held prior to release of the formal solicitation
in November.

"We encourage interested parties to begin thinking about their ideas,
forming partnerships, and working out other details prior to attending the
roundtable meetings," says Benita Whalen, project manager. "That way, we can
answer any outstanding questions and ensure that the meetings are
beneficial."

The informational workshops will consist of a one-hour presentation followed
by one-on-one sessions for those interested in participating in the program.
The dates are:

   October 17 -- 1 p.m.
      Auditorium
      SFWMD Okeechobee Service Center
      205 North Parrott Avenue, Suite 201
      Okeechobee, FL

   October 24 -- 9 a.m.
      Okeechobee Conference Room (Building B-2, first floor)
      SFWMD Headquarters
      3301 Gun Club Road
      West Palm Beach

The formal solicitation will be released in mid-November 2002, with
responses due back mid-January 2003. The proposals will be reviewed by an
interagency selection committee and ranked using a predetermined set of
evaluation criteria. Funding recommendations, based on the results of the
interagency selection committee, will be submitted to the District's
Governing Board for approval.

Program details, submittal forms, instructions, and guidelines will be
available in mid-November on the web at http://www.sfwmd.gov or by
contacting Jim Robinson at (561) 682-6373. For technical information and for
scheduling a one-on-one session at the roundtable meetings, contact Benita
Whalen, P.E. at (561) 682-6869.

# # #

http://www.sfwmd.gov/newsr/3_newsrel.html#ppartner