VP Ewell tells Yavapai Community College Board at budget approval meeting College intends to use the $10 million to construct a 14,000 square foot commercial lab “to teach brewing and distilling”
Many unanswered questions surround the decision by Yavapai Community College to invest somewhere around $10 million to construct a 14,000 square foot commercial lab to teach brewing and distilling. The facility, when completed, will sell its product to the public. (Click here to review video explanation by Vice President Clint Ewell at May meeting.)
The puzzle began in March of 2022 when the College rolled out a tentative budget showing it was going to spend $5 million to expand its Career and Technical Education facility. (See tentative budget proposal below.)
Although in May the College seems to claim that the beer brewing facility was discussed in depth at the March Governing Board meeting, apparently by College consultants, a review of that meeting fails to show a discussion of a brewery taking place. Instead, a casual observer would conclude the capital discussion at the March meeting involved expanding the existing 10,000 square CTE facility on the Verde Campus.
The brewery expenditure, which was marked as such in the budget, first appeared in the April proposed final budget. There was no explanation for the change from $5 million to $8 million. (See April proposed final budget below.)
Finally, at the May budget hearing, the brewery once again appeared on the capital budget for 2022-23 with a figure of $10 million. At this meeting, it was the first time the public learned that the College now intended to build a 14,000 square foot facility. Once again, there was little explanation of the jump from the earlier $5 million rough estimate to $10 million 60 days later. (See May final budget below.)
Efforts to obtain more information about the need for such a facility, where the planning is at, whether there is a need, etc. have so far been futile as the College keeps a tight lid on its planning.
March Draft Capital budget below:
April propose budget below:
