Peace River Center to Purchase Property and Renovate Buildings from the City of Lakeland
by James Coulter
Peace River Center will soon undergo expansion and renovations now that a contract has been approved to purchase property and renovate buildings from the City of Lakeland.
At their meeting on Tues. Oct 7, the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) voted unanimously to approve a contract that enables Peace River Center to buy property and renovate an additional building owned by the City of Lakeland.
Peace River Center currently owns three buildings on Gilmore Avenue. They have proposed acquiring that city-owned property and a fourth building to consolidate and grow its operations.
The contract commits $1.28 million in funding for the property purchase. The remaining $320,000 will go toward converting the newly acquired building into a healthcare facility.
Peace River Center is a non-profit organization that provides behavioral health and primary care services to low-income residents.
“Peace River Center strives to treat our members and the individuals we serve with integrity and compassion,” its website states. “[It] is committed to being a center of excellence in our community.”
Larry Williams, Peace River Center CEO, explained that the purchase and renovations were necessary to allow Peace River Center to expand services to the community.
“We’re out of room…and, quite frankly, we need to expand,” Williams said. “Were sitting in the middle of prime property…[so] d to secure this investment for Peace River Center today and not wait 39 years to see what is going to happen.”
County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the contract, which will remain in effect through Sep. 30, 2027.
