Campus to have medical focus

New Loxahatchee Groves PBSC campus to serve 1,200 students.

LOXAHATCHEE GROVES — Palm Beach State College’s newest campus has declared a major, or rather, a focus.

The Loxahatchee Groves campus of the college will have a health, science and technology focus, said Richard Becker, vice president of administration and business services for the college. More specifically, it will house medical-related courses, thanks to its proximity to medical facilities, as well as general education classes.

The board of trustees likely will make a decision on the planned use of the building, which sits on the corner of Southern Boulevard and B Road, at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Doors to the western campus are slated to open in time for spring semester of 2017, Becker said, adding that it’s designed to accommodate 1,200 students. The first part of the campus, a 50,000-square foot, three-story building, should

MIRIAM FREDERICK, LAKE WORTH

project will cost about $27 million, though a part of that money will be put toward developing the “virgin land” with roadways, parking lots and turn lanes on B Road. Becker said it will be paid for partly with state dollars and money from students’ credit hour fees, which pulls about $9 per credit hour to put toward capital improvement.

Moving forward, Becker said they might have to rely more on local dollars to pay for additional development, as state money for colleges to build is declining.

The Loxahatchee Groves campus was first pitched after a study more than 10 years ago suggested that students living in towns such as Wellington, Royal Palm Beach and The Acreage would benefit from a campus closer to home. The decision to build one in Loxahatchee Groves was met with contention from some local residents who oppose the expansion.

“It’s really being built to allow the people in the central-western communities easier access to a state college,” Becker said. “This was the best choice of land.”