Polk State Receives Two Honors at Livable Polk Awards
Polk State received Livable Polk Awards for its Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School building and universal transit program for students and employees.
Polk State College was doubly honored during the inaugural Livable Polk Awards presented on Thursday evening.
The Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School building won the evening’s Judge’s Choice award, while the College’s universal transit program took the Community Recognition honor.
“Polk State loves its community, both the people in it and its precious natural resources, and everything we do puts Polk County first. The projects we submitted for consideration for these awards are huge points of pride for the College, but they’re also huge advances for Polk County, and we’re honored that they have been recognized on a countywide level,” said Polk State President Eileen Holden.
The Livable Polk Awards are new recognitions presented by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners and a number of co-sponsors.
The awards recognize and highlight best development practices — projects that embody innovative planning principles and serve as a model for the future. The awards emphasize conservation development, healthy community design and sustainable development.
The Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School building won the evening’s Judge’s Choice award, while the College’s universal transit program took the Community Recognition honor.
The Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate building on the College’s Winter Haven campus has received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold status, the second-highest level of certification from the U.S. Green Building Council; it’s also the first building in the county certified through the LEED for Schools program.
Attention to the environment was incorporated in every detail of the 14,500-square-foot building. Among the features that contributed to the building’s selection for the Judge’s Choice award are a rainwater collection system that has helped reduce the building’s water use by 37 percent; and a daylight harvesting system that automatically adjusts indoor lighting based on the amount of available natural light, resulting in a 28 percent cut in energy use.
The College partnered with Straughn Trout Architects to achieve the LEED Gold certification.
Polk State College earlier this year announced an innovative agreement with the Polk Transit Authority to guarantee free, universal access to public transportation. Every College student and employee may ride any bus route, at any time, for any purpose, for free when they show a College-issued ID. The agreement helps more than 20,000 Polk State students to save money while reducing energy consumption and air pollution.
The Livable Polk Awards were presented on Thursday evening at Nora Mayo Hall in Winter Haven.