Polk State to begin renovations to the Winter Haven Science Building

Posted on by Polk Newsroom

As Polk State College welcomes the new year, 2025 will also mark the start of a construction project.

The Winter Haven Science Building (WSC) is expected to undergo renovations throughout the year. Built in 1966, the 51,000-square-foot facility will receive upgrades to both the interior and exterior.

Renovations were made possible by a $16.7 million allocation of Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) funds by the Florida Legislature during the 2022 Legislative Session.

Exterior renovations may include window replacement, roof repairs and replacement, and brick repairs. Upgrades to the interior include renovations to science labs, nursing labs, classrooms, and offices.

Interior renovations will be completed in two phases. The entirety of the second floor will be renovated first. Upgrades to the bottom floor will be made during the second phase. In addition to the renovated spaces, electrical and plumbing systems will be modernized as well.

WSC houses all the laboratory spaces for science courses, and as such, serves all students at the Winter Haven Campus pursuing workforce degrees that require a lab science. This includes all transfer students, in addition to those pursuing the Health Science degrees, as well as the associate degree programs in Education and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) career fields. A full selection of courses will be offered to Polk State students during construction.

During construction, the areas of WSC being renovated will be unavailable to faculty, staff, and students. However, faculty offices have been relocated to spaces across the Winter Haven Campus. Faculty and staff members who are temporarily relocated and their new locations can be found here.

Additionally, classes and labs that would have been held in WSC will be moved to different locations across the Winter Haven Campus. In some cases, lab space will serve dual purposes.  For example, a lab previously reserved for Biology courses may now also serve Chemistry students. Student schedules should reflect the new locations for classes.

To facilitate construction, the parking area in front of WSC will be used as a staging and storage area, and as such, students and staff members are encouraged to park in the lot in front of the Multi-Services Building (WMS).

Construction drawings have been created and are currently out to bid. If bids are within the $16.7 million budget, demolition is expected to start by mid-January. Once the project budget is finalized, the College will create and release a detailed project schedule. More information about this project and all construction projects at Polk State is available by visiting www.polk.edu/about/construction-projects-polk-state/.