Yavapai Community College has completed construction of a gravel access road to the upper vineyard on the Verde Campus. The new road will provide students with greater access to the upper vineyard directly from the Verde Valley Campus.
Wello Machine from Wello.
Yavapai Community College has installed a Wello machine in Building “L” that will be used for daily temperature checks. The screening kiosk claims to be one of the fastest and most accurate systems available.
Wello says that as businesses and other entities open up, one of the ways to create a “safer, orderly environment” is to test for a fever. The product uses thermal infrared sensors to perform, which according to the manufacturer, provide “ efficient, accurate temperature readings instantly.” The system is non-contact for the student and “does not require any participation.”
Building “L” on the Yavapai Community College Verde Campus has completed its almost two-year renovation and is now operating with classes being taught in Nursing, EMS, Advanced Manufacturing, Electronics, and science. The opening of the facility meets the goal set by Community College President Lisa Rhine months ago that it would be ready for classes in the fall of this year.
You may view a short video comment by Dr. Rhine about Building “L” she made during her Wednesday, August 26 update. As Dr. Rhine notes, unfortunately because of Covid-19 the classes must follow strict health guidelines and limit their size.
Construction is all but completed on Building “L” on the Verde Campus. Facilities and ITS personnel are busily setting up equipment and deploying furniture throughout the newly renovated facility.
Below are two photographs taken from the August 2020 College Facilities Management Newsletter showing some of the internal deployment of equipment and furniture.
The building is no longer an active construction zone, so those interested in taking a walk through do not need to wear safety gear other than masks.
The final touches are being put in place on Building “L” on the Verde Campus. It is ready for fall semester.
As the following photo from the July College Maintenance Update shows, grounds crews have completed landscaping the south side of the facility, as seen in the photo below.
Yavapai Community College is moving ahead quickly to achieve its goal of becoming a “touchless campus.” The goal is to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 among students, staff, faculty and visitors.
Listed below are some of the efforts being made as described by Scott Blevins, the Facilities Manager, Plant & Process Engineer.
According to Mr. Bevens, the College “approved the ordering and installation of NanoSeptic Self-Cleaning Surface 
products for various applications. We are purchasing door handle wraps for entrances at high use public buildings, touch screen covers for spaces that are open in the fall, and mousepads for the computer commons and libraries. “NanoSeptic Skins and Mats turn dirty, high traffic, public touchpoints into continuously self-cleaning surfaces. Powered by light, NanoSeptic surfaces utilize mineral nanocrystals, which create a powerful oxidation reaction. Working 24/7, the surface continually oxidizes organic contaminants. Unlike traditional disinfectants and cleaners, the NanoSeptic surface uses no poisons, heavy metals or chemicals, and nothing is released from the surface since the nano-crystals are molecularly bonded to the material.”
The final work has been completed by Yavapai Community College on a new electronic sign near the entrance to the Prescott Campus off Sheldon Street. The new sign replaces the older electronic sign that had been in place for a few years. The cost of the new replacement has not been disclosed.
There is still no word on what progress, if any, has been made to purchase land and create an electronic sign near Black Hills Drive and 89A. That sign would direct persons to the Verde Campus by taking Black Hills Drive. It is a sign that Verde Valley Community College supporters have been seeking to encourage the College to build for a decade or more.
Construction crews are nearing completion of the Career and Technical Education manufacturing section of Building “L” on the Verde Campus in Clarkdale. Although most of the newly remodeled building is given over to healthcare training, there is one section set aside for Career and Technical Education in what the College describes as the advanced manufacturing area.
Construction on the section should be completed by the beginning of the fall 2020 semester.
Posted below is a photo of the construction (from June Facilities Management Newsletter) as of June 2020. Also posted below is an advertisement from last year of a Community College advertisement (from Facebook) suggesting the areas taught at the CTEC College facility at the Prescott airport that involved advanced manufacturing.
The Community College is on the verge of constructing a “technical theater” as an addition to the Performing Arts Center. In June, it had assembled construction documents and was seeking to price the capital improvement project.
The “technical theater” will involve enclosing the area outside the Green Room at the Performing Arts Center. The Blog notes that In September 2018 the Green Room was remodeled with new flooring and millwork replacement.
The goal is to begin construction of the “technical theater” sometime in July 2020. The funds for the project, it is believed, will be provided by the Yavapai Community College Foundation.
The Blog also notes that the College is now searching for a “technical theater” instructor who will be responsible for the technical theater educational programs and supervision of the technical theater program activities. Salary range is from $50,433 – $64,380 for twelve months.
Sketches of the future “technical theater” appear below.
Back in 2012 the Yavapai Community College Governing Board approved expending around $1.3 million on Campus development over a ten-year period. At the time, over 95% of the expenditures were intended exclusively for improving Community College facilities located on the west side of the County.
Over the years, the College reduced the amount it would spend to around $60 million but maintained focus on the west side facilities. The Verde Valley was pretty much ignored.
While the new administration under the direction of Dr. Lisa Rhine has taken a new and refreshing view of the Verde Valley and its resource needs , the decisions made since 2012 by former President Penelope Wills for developing the Prescott Campus and the facilities on the west side of the County are now completed or nearing completion.
Two of those facilities are the Arts Department and upgrading the Performing Arts Center. It cost millions of dollars over the past decade to renovate and construct these new facilities. Most of the revenue to pay for these projects came from all the taxpayers in the County via their primary taxes.
A very short video tape (see below) released by the College shows off its new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Department space on the Prescott Campus.
The Department will offer classes in its new space in choral and instrumental music, music theory, vocal and instrumental ensembles, costume and make up design, acting, musical theater, dance, stagecraft, and much more!
Video copied from Yavapai Community College Facebook post (minor editing).