The Ledger
March 22, 2007

BARTOW — PCC's Corporate College is getting a big boost from the Clear Springs Land Co.

Clear Springs is donating $12 million and 15 to 20 acres in Bartow to the Polk Community College Foundation. The college plans to use the money and land to build a permanent home for its Corporate College, a school that provides training to businesses and their employees in Polk County.

PCC President Eileen Holden received a letter of commitment from Clear Springs earlier this month. The land will come from the Bartow portion of the 18,000 acres the company owns in Polk County.

'We're actually a philanthropist for education research and training,' said Clear Springs President Jura Zibas. 'We are supportive of Eileen, the PCC program, and what they're doing for the area.' PCC trustee Twyla Ely said she hopes the donation spurs similar generosity from other companies. 'I'd like to leave this as a challenge as Polk County grows,' she said.

PCC has been looking for land to build a campus in the Haines City area for several years. But land prices have outpaced PCC's purchasing power, Ely said.

Zibas said PCC needed a permanent location for its Corporate College, and Holden approached Clear Springs for help. 'We thought this would be a good start to building up the work force in the area,' she said.

This is the second major donation given to PCC since Holden took office last year. Last year, the city of Lake Wales donated its old City Hall. The school is renovating the building to become a small satellite campus.

Zibas said the location for the new school on Clear Springs property has not been determined. 'PCC will select a location,' she said. '... We are allowing the school to take over the design.'

PCC spokesman Tom Dowling said the college hasn't completed its plans for the new campus. He said it should take about nine months to plan for the site and another two years until construction is complete.

Zibas said the Corporate College will be the first piece in an industrial and education park the company plans for the same area in Bartow. Zibas would not identify which schools, businesses or training companies it is talking to but said details would come soon and it would be 'a fast-moving project.'

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