The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to award a contract for a comprehensive structural and architectural assessment of buildings at the Lee Civic Center.

Weston and Sampson Engineers, Inc. will complete the assessment that includes the engineering systems and overall condition of the site and buildings.

The Lee Civic Center includes 163,255 square feet of floor space and was constructed to accommodate a variety of shows or events. The center has hosted concerts, agriculture events, fairs, trade shows, high school graduations and other events since its opening in 1978 and sits on 98.93 acres of land that includes fair grounds.

Lee County owns the Civic Center and the surrounding property, including the fairgrounds. The property has been managed by the Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair Association since 1996.

Although improvements and repairs have been made during its lifetime, an assessment of the facility’s condition is needed to determine the best course of action to be able to continue to host various activities.

It will take approximately seven months to complete the assessment. The contract is for $375,765. Lee County will continue to provide updates to the public.

4H and the fair events will continue as scheduled.