“Postponement” announcement found in Yavapai Community College Facilities Management Newsletters of October and December 2022 | Length of postponement unclear | District Governing Board and public await an explanation

The exact status of the proposed and approved $8 to $10 million Verde Valley beer brewery project remains unclear.  Although the Prescott-based executives who decide major Community College issues for the Verde Valley  have made no formal announcement, the postponement notice appears in the October and December Community College Facilities Newsletter.  (See below)

The project was approved in May 2022 by the District Governing Board by a 4-1 vote.

The nature of the postponement remains a mystery.  Neither the public nor the District Governing Board have so far been informed of the postponement and the reasons for it.  The President of the College, Dr. Lisa Rhine, had an opportunity to explain the postponement at the October and November 2022 District Governing Board meetings but said nothing.

 The District Governing Board is not expected to hold a business meeting until February where an explanation regarding the postponement might be forthcoming. 

Plan view is to develop program at CTEC and possibly at Mingus High School; Did Sedona mayor- elect Scott Jablow’s speech to the Governing Board at the November meeting possibly alter rigid thinking by Prescott based College executives regarding the future of EV training in the Verde Valley?

The five-year development plan proposed by the Prescott-based executives of Yavapai Community College, as presented at the November 2022 Governing Board meeting, suggests that they are not enthusiastic about developing a comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) training program at the Verde Campus. Instead, according to the plan documents, they may consider placing an EV program of some sort at Mingus High School.

Even placing such a program at Mingus High School seemed to generate reluctance. For example, Career and Technical Education Dean John Morgan told the Governing Board that “we have leased a facility from Mingus High School in the past, but we didn’t get the desired enrollment when we tried to run it there.”

Dean Morgan also indicated that the College was far from immediately ready to institute EV training. He said that the College was “waiting a couple of years at least in our planning horizon to let the industry catch up with us.” He also said that at present EV training is proprietary. “That is, if . . . you’re on a Tesla. If something goes wrong with it, it comes up on your screen, and it says, go to your Tesla dealership.”

One bright spot for the Verde Valley was a result of Sedona’s mayor-elect Scott Jablow telling the Governing Board that Sedona was prepared to host a Community College EV training course as a part of its EV program. As a result of that speech, Dean Morgan told the Governing Board at the meeting that at some point he would consider the Sedona offer.

What follows for your information are excerpts from the College plan documents relevant to an EV training program.

It was revealed at the District Board meeting that an Auto Advisory Board meets twice a year, according to College, however  names, agendas, location of members, etc.  remains secret

Yavapai Community College provides as little information to the public as possible about its operation.  The public, for example, only accidentally learned during the November 2022 District Governing Board meeting that the Career and Technical Education unit at the College has a committee that advises it on what direction to move when various projects are proposed.

According to the brief answers given to a Board member at the November meeting, the advisory committee meets twice a year and advises the College on how it should move in developing automobile related issues such as when to move on developing its Electrical Vehicle program.

In order to obtain more information about this Committee, on November 22, 2022 the Blog made the following formal request to the College:

BLOG REQUEST: “During last Tuesday’s Board meeting Dean John Morgan mentioned he had an automotive advisory committee helping him make decisions about projects or programs at CTEC.  Can you provide information as to the number of committee members, names, and  areas of the county they come from such as Prescott, etc?”

COLLEGE RESPONSE:  “I will work on this one. I am not sure if I will be able to gather the information before we return from break on Monday.”

It has now been a month since the request and the Blog has heard nothing further from the College.  It can only be assumed that this is an area it wants to keep secret from the public. 

EDITED TRANSCRIPT OF Q AND A BETWEEN THE COLLEGE AND THE GOVERNING BOARD AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING

BOARD MEMBER QUESTION: “How do you know when the EV  marketplace has developed to the point where the college is going to entertain launching a program, for example, maintenance of  say, a fleet of vehicles. . . .”

COLLEGE RESPONSE: “Oh, if I can answer that briefly. That’s what our advisory boards are for. They’re trying to figure things out on how to position themselves.”

COLLEGE RESPONSE: “So you know  we meet twice a year with our auto advisory Board.”

BOARD MEMBER QUESTION: “And then just a follow up question, . . . what is or what comprises the Advisory Board?”

COLLEGE RESPONSE: “So our advisory boards are made up of local industry  people so  they can be independent dealers. They can be dealers,  so they’re always people that come directly from industry that work in this every day, and that’s what we turn to to help us.”

COLLEGE RESPONSE: We have a proposition on the table that we’re trying to vet right now. There’s a movement to try to convert some of your retro vehicles to electric  because there they think they’re short, lived in the marketplace,  some of your especially your muscle cars.

COLLEGE RESPONSE: That’s an interesting market that’s emerging, particularly in Phoenix right now, where they’re basically taking out gas engines and replacing them with electric in the in the old muscle cars. And they’re telling us they’re doing that to entice a younger generation  into those vehicles. Big difference between what they see in a dashboard of a modern electric vehicle versus what you see in a in a fifty-nine or a sixty nine barracuda.

You may view a four-minute video clip of the conversation at the November Business meeting of the Yavapai Community College Governing Board regarding the Advisory Board  by clicking here.

Work may already have begun on renovating Building 19 on the Prescott Campus; unclear when work may begin on Verde Campus

The Yavapai Community College Five year Master Plan, approved by the District Governing Board 4-1 in concept, will spend an estimated $12.15 million to renovate Building 19 on the Prescott Campus to support creation of a Learning/Digital Commons.  It is believed that work has apparently already begun on some aspects of the renovation.

The Mater Plan in concept estimates spending about $3.09 million to renovate Building M to create a Learning/Digital Commons.    No work has begun on building “M” on this renovation.  According to the Community College Master Plan, the goal on the Verde Campus is to “provide space for the library, information technology support, tutoring, collaboration, content creation, meetings, socialization, and studying.”

Sketches and information contained in the College Master Plan appear below. This material  should provide you with additional information regarding these two major projects.

May spend an estimated $146,000 for acoustical and technology upgrades for rooms (out of $50 to $70 million in total County-wide projects) but nothing for additional programs

The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board approved 4-1 a five-year capital development program in concept at its November 2022 meeting.  It estimated $50.14 million in construction costs and $77.13 million in total project development costs.  It appears from the planning documents that a only tiny amount of the development funding is going to the Sedona Center.

When listing priorities for capital development, the planning documents indicate that the College plans in concept to spend only $146,000 on the Sedona Center over the next five years.  The money allocated to the Center is aimed at improving technology and acoustical issues in the classrooms.

You may view the excepts from the adopted Master Plan that appear below to confirm the Blog’s analysis. Note that during the Priority Projects list shows the College expending a total of $50.14 in construction costs and $77.13 in total costs.

Priority list of projects indicates the location to be determined with sketches in plan inconsistent with priority list; confusion over location coincides with College using different figures for estimated costs

The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board approved 4-1  in concept  the construction of an estimated $8 million dollar brewery project at its November meeting.  However, there remain questions about whether the project is being delayed, its actual estimated cost, and  its possible location.

The confusion over this project arises for a number of reasons.  First, in October 2022 the College announced in its Facilities Management Newsletter without further explanation that the Brewing project had been “postponed.” 

Second, at the November 2022 Governing Board meeting the brewery project was approved in concept by a 4-1 vote.  As noted by Third District Governing Board Representative Paul Chevalier during the meeting, the cost estimates seem to be unsettled. For example,  in October the College said in its Facilities Management Newsletter the project would cost around $10 million. However,  in November the cost was listed in the adopted concept plan (see below) at a little over $8 million.

Third, in the November presentation, the College lists the location of various possible projects.  However, when it came to the Brewery project, on the “Priority Projects” list it clearly states the location is to be determined (TBA). See below.

Fourth, In the same presentation there is a map of the Verde Campus with numbers that indicated where each Verde Campus priority project would be located.  The Brewery project is number 8 in the list of priorities but nowhere on the Verde Campus map showing locations of projects does that number appear. (See below).

Fifth, to add even more confusion to the issue, in a slide contained in the five year concept plan that briefly explains the Brewery project, there is a dot on the upper right of a tiny map of the Verde Campus showing the possible location of the Brewery.

So far, the Prescott based Community College executives have not supplied any explanation to the public about the confusion over cost, postponement, or actual site for the project. (For additional information about this project found in the Blog please click here.)

Following below are some excerpts from the plan approved in concept by the Governing Board at its November 2022 meeting.

Estimated cost is $608,000 to initiate program on Verde Campus; Chino Valley Center is currently home to Community College developed CDT program and will continue with an estimated $608,000 additional funding

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board approved in concept at its November 2022 meeting spending an estimated $608,000 on the Verde Valley Campus in Clarkdale to begin a Commercial Driver Training Testing site.  Any final decision on starting the project and allocating the funds for it rests with the Board when it approves its budget in the spring 2023.

The justification for the expansion was that there is a high demand for truck drivers with commercial driver’s licenses. 

The project for the Verde Campus includes site grading and construction of an ADOT approved asphalt lot and track for commercial drier license skills testing.  The size of the lot and test track will be determined when the Community College decides to go ahead with the project and hires an architect for it.

It should be noted that back in June 2022 the Community College said in a report to the Board that it had applied for a grant from Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. During the announcement, the presenter made reference to Camp Verde as receiving some of the grant funds for a commercial truck driving school. The reference now appears most likely an error or slip of the tongue.  (To view the video clip of the June report to the Governing Board on the grant request see https://www.screencast.com/t/lFUFFkfTC.) 

Below are excerpts from the Yavapai Community College Governing Board November 2022 adopted concept Five Year Plan:

Newly elected Mayor outlines partnership where City will pay for construction of new EV facility, all costs associated with operating it; provide College space to train students on repairing EV buses; so far, College indicates no interest in offer

Sedona Mayor Elect Scott Jablow

The new incoming Mayor of Sedona, Scott Jablow, offered a superb educational opportunity for Yavapai College when speaking to  the College’s  Governing Board at its November meeting. Jablow told the Board that Sedona was embarking on plans to create an all-electric vehicle (EV) transportation fleet of buses (and possibly other city vehicles). He explained that the City as a part of its EV program intends to build a maintenance facility for the EVs, staff it with technicians, and pay all associated operating costs.

In a stunning revelation, he said a year ago he had proposed to the Chair of the Board that the city of Sedona  would provide space where Yavapai Community College students could train on repairing EVs in its EV facility.  The only cost to the College would be to provide a curriculum and a teacher for the program.

Despite the generous offer by the City, the Mayor reported that the College has shown absolutely no interest in such a partnership. “None.” 

It seems like history, at least to a certain extent, is repeating itself when it comes to advanced CTE programs in the Verde Valley.

Recall that back in 2005-2006, Phelps-Dodge  (later Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold), a Phoenix-based global mining company, let Community College executives know that it was looking for a place that would train students in diesel, industrial and electrical mechanics. It suggested that it would financially support the creation of a two-year College apprenticeship program and would help build classrooms and pay faculty salaries for the first three years of the program if the College initiated such a program.

The Prescott based College executives leaped at the offer and immediately began searching for a west Yavapai County facility to purchase. At the time the Prescott-based executives had the option of putting the diesel training facility on the Verde Valley Campus as a part of the newly created CTE program, which it called the Northern Arizona Regional Skills Center.

Rather than begin a new and exciting program on the Verde Campus as a part of its CTE development, the Governing Board authorized purchase of a 108,000 square foot building at a cost of five million dollars, located at the Prescott airport, to house the diesel project. Once the purchase was complete, it began renovating the facility with an initial investment of $750,000. The building is now called the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) and houses the diesel training program.

The decision to develop a diesel training program at the CTE campus at the Prescott airport marked  the death knell for the  Career and Technical Education program just started on the Verde Campus. The idea of seriously pushing the development of a major northern Arizona CTE Center on the Verde Campus soon evaporated. 

Now, years later, Sedona is offering the east side of the County an opportunity to train technicians to repair EV engines with little cost to the College.  It would be training students for the present and future. However, the west side executives, who control all major decisions on the east side of the County, are simply looking the other way. It’s what happens when local residents cannot control local programs at a local community college.

From the west side’s reaction, it’s fairly easy to see where EV training will go in the future. Only to Prescott’s CTE training facility.

You may view all of Mayor-elect Scott Jablow’s short presentation to the November Governing Board by clicking here. Note the first part of his speech has to do with the Brewery program being proposed for the Verde Campus.

Jobs in brewery industry on east side of County are few and low paying; focus should be on training for  well-paid high tech CTE jobs

Sedona Mayor elect Scott Jablow

During his successful run in November for Sedona Mayor, current Vice Mayor Scott Jablow talked with prospective voters about Yavapai Community College.  According to his brief report at the November 2022 College Governing Board meeting, many Sedona  voters expressed little if any interest in seeing the College expend millions of dollars on a brewery on the east side of the County.

Jablow said that “many of the people” he spoke to “were concerned about” what the Governing Board and College were doing “with the taxpayer money from the Yavapai side of Sedona.”  According to him, they told him that “a brewery was not necessary for our region.  That the money being spent — $10 million dollars – is unheard of when we don’t have the need from any of our brewers . . ..”  (See video clip for complete statement.)  “They feel it is a waste of money,” he said.

The preference among voters with whom he spoke was for more training in hi-tech Career and Technical Education jobs.

You may view his brief report to the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board on video  by clicking here.