How should future College construction in the District prepare to meet this risk?

An analysis by the Yavapai Community College Institutional Effectiveness and Research Department shows that the Prescott campus has essentially the same risk of a catastrophic forest or brush fire as Paradise, California.  Recall that the Paradise fire killed 85 people and  covered an area of 153,336 acres  (almost 240 sq. miles), and destroyed 18,804 structures. The total damage was estimated at $16.5 billion.

Tom Hughes, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at the Community College, presented this analysis at the November 12 District Governing Board meeting.  He asked the Board members to reflect on future construction and how the College should deal with the potential of facing a fire of the magnitude of the Paradise fire in the District.

It was noted that over 400 hundred colleges and universies (roughly 8% of market) have formed a Climate Leadership network, comming to a combinaon of reducing greenhouse gases their school, becoming carbon neutral, and/ or developing community capacity to deal with climate change. (htps://secondnature.org/climate-aconguidance/ network/).

Opening by fall semester 2020 so far appears feasible

Construction of Building “L” on the Verde Campus is proceeding.  The renovation is estimated to cost anywhere from $4 to $6 million when completed (cost includes related facilities electrical, air conditioning, heating, etc. upgrades that probably should have been done as a part of the 22011-13 Campus upgrade.)  As anticipated by the Administration, it appears that the Community College will be able to open the renovated facility by the fall 2020.

Facility Management reports that current

“interior work consists of metal stud framing on the first floor for new science labs along with columns in the soon to be enclosed first-floor breezeway. Fire sprinklers are being installed on both floors, along with ductwork and insulation.

“Metal stud framing will began the week of September 16 for the second-floor spaces. Structural steel is being installed to construct a floor above the advanced manufacturing lab, which will eventually be simulator lab space.

“Exterior work continues with trenching for roof drainage along with a new water line to support the fire sprinkler system at the west end of the building. As soon as the new line is inspected and approved by the fire marshal, lot 10 will be available for more parking.”

Building L will allow the Community College to increase capacity for both nursing and allied health while possibly adding other programs in emergency medical services, parent medicine and home healthcare. It will also allow the Community College to create and expend quality CTE programming that meets local workforce needs and prepares students for careers. (College is continuing to examine the possibility of constructing a separate large, flexible CTE facility.)  The College may add a manufacturing lab to building L and a lab for short-term programs that could ramp up and down as needed.

First phase started this week; no information provided regarding costs, reasons for move, etc.

Construction has begun on building the future home of the Yavapai Community College Foundation offices at the library on the Prescott Campus.  The library began removing all magazines, papers, etc. earlier this week.  Construction began in earnest  today.

Requests by various persons to local Governing Board officials and the College for general information about the decision to move the Foundation offices to this location have gone unanswered.

Most of parking lot adjacent Building “L” fenced off

Construction on Building “L” on the Verde Valley Campus appears to have begun in earnest.  This past week construction crews put up fencing that covered most of the parking area adjacent the building in anticipation of construction.

The $2 million dollar project includes new building, exercise course, and VirTra police officer simulator

Yavapai Community College is putting the finishing touches on the new Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy (NARTA) facilities on the Prescott Campus.  Recall that the Wills’ administration formally announced in March 2018 it had decided to move NARTA from the Prescott Valley Center, where it had been located since 1996, to the Prescott Campus.  Per dollar figures given the Governing Board, the College budgeted spending $1,528,000 in 2018-19 and an additional $509,000 in 2019-20 to cover the costs of the move.

The cost includes construction of a 2,500 square foot training facility and outdoor exercise equipment to prepare a NARTA student to  finish a required physical aptitude test. The Community College has also installed  new sophisticated training .equipment such as the VirTra police officer’s simulator.  The VirTra uses a multi-screen projector system to project real life actual scenarios in which officers must make split second decisions about use of deadly force.

Taxpayers picked up the $2 million-dollar price tag (no grant money) for the move.  NARTA runs for 20 weeks twice  a year and graduates about 30 students after each 20 week training program is completed.

Critics of the move point out that NARTA’s former location on the Prescott Valley Campus was described as a “state-of-the-art training facility.”  However, the Master Plan justified the move as minimizing travel for faculty and students and locating a program on a campus with housing that the program requires. The Prescott Valley Chief of Police, Bryan Jarrell and the Prescott Chief of Police, Debora Black, both spoke to the Board at the March 2018 meeting and urged the Governing Board to approve the move.

NARTA acts as a regional training center serving city, county, tribal, and state law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Arizona. Recruits must be sponsored by an agency before entering the academy. Classes such as Drivers and Firearms Training and Stop and Approach are held at off-campus locations.

Community College NARTA VirTra simulator

VirTra simulator illustration from manufacturer.

Some critics claim the expenditure is not educationally essential given the Prescott Valley training facility was claimed to be “state of the art”

The new training facility for the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy (NARTA) on the Prescott Campus is nearing completion.  The total cost to taxpayers associated with moving NARTA from the Prescott Valley Center to the Prescott Campus is put at $2,037,000.  Taxpayers are picking up the entire cost of the transfer because no grant money is involved.

The change in location is a part of the College’s 2013 multi-million capital development Master Plan. This Plan has resulted in spending millions of dollars on the West side of the County for new parking lots, renovated and new classrooms and buildings.

Critics of the two million-dollar expenditure argue that the move is “nice,” but not educationally essential.  They point out that the location on the Prescott Valley Campus has been described as a state-of-the-art training facility for NARTA.  However, the Master Plan justified the move as minimizing travel for faculty and students and locating a program on the Prescott campus where housing is a little closer to the training.    Critics say the 10 to 15 minute drive from Prescott Valley to the dorms on the Prescott Campus hardly justified the $2 million expenditure.

Critics also were concerned about the two million-dollar expenditure because the building will be used exclusively for training 25 to 30 students during only two 20 week semesters annually.  This is unlike the Prescott Valley facility where NARTA shared classrooms with other students.

The Prescott Valley Chief of Police, Bryan Jarrell and the Prescott Chief of Police, Debora Black, both heavily lobbied the Governing Board at the March 2018 meeting for the project.  The Board voted 4-1 to spend the $2 million with Second District Representative Deb McCasland the lone dissenter. She argued that while she strongly supported the NARTA program, she did not see that this was a wise expenditure of scarce educational funds. 

NARTA acts as a regional training center serving city, county, tribal, and state law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Arizona. Recruits must be sponsored by an agency before entering the academy. Classes such as Drivers and Firearms Training and Stop and Approach are held at off-campus locations.

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Sgt. Karl Waak, the current academy commander, said in a College news release that the new headquarters is just what NARTA needed — functional space that isn’t shared with other college programs. He cited as a significant benefit the ability for cadets to conduct critical training drills indoors during inclement weather.

Board approved (4-1) moving NARTA from Prescott Valley to Prescott Campus; Prescott Valley Center was called “state of the art” facility; some taxpayers question move

The new training building for the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy (NARTA) is under construction on the Prescott Campus.  Recall that President Wills announced at the March 2018 Governing Board meeting that the administration had finalized plans to move NARTA  from the Prescott Valley Center, where it has been located since 1996, to the Prescott Campus. 

Per figures given the Governing Board, the College has budgeted spending $1,528,000 in 2018-19 and $509,000 in 2019-20 respectively to cover the costs of the move. The cost includes construction of a 2,500 square foot training facility.  The Board subsequently approved the expenditures.

Taxpayers will be picking up the $2 million-dollar price tag (no grant money).  NARTA runs for 20 weeks twice a year and graduates about 30 students after each 20 week training program is completed.

The change in location is a part of the College’s 2013 multi-million capital development Master Plan, which is spending millions on the West side of the County for new parking lots, renovated and new classrooms and buildings, etcetera.

The Prescott Valley Campus has been described as a state-of-the-art training facility for NARTA.  However, the Master Plan justified the move as minimizing travel for faculty and students and locating a program on a campus with housing when a program requires housing. The Prescott Valley Chief of Police, Bryan Jarrell and the Prescott Chief of Police, Debora Black, both spoke to the Board at the March meeting and urged it to approve the move.

NARTA acts as a regional training center serving city, county, tribal, and state law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Arizona. Recruits must be sponsored by an agency before entering the academy. Classes such as Drivers and Firearms Training and Stop and Approach are held at off-campus locations.

The photo below was provided the Governing Board at its November meeting.  It was taken by the College management team and placed in the Board Agenda.

The classrooms, offices, etc. that will house ASU Bachelor’s programs are about finished

With more than $2 million already spent in the overall improvements of the first floor of the Prescott Valley expansion, the College is completing the second floor. The estimated cost for the second floor renovation/construction is around $1.57 million. As of the November Governing Board meeting, furniture is being installed along with technology on the second floor.

The final phase of construction will begin December 17 and will include renovating the garage portion of the Prescott Valley Center for student development functions, the locker room which will become a science lab, classroom conversion to a lab  or Imaging (Radiology Technology) and renovating the rotunda area for Zoom and student lounge spaces. Completion of this phase of construction is scheduled for June 15, 2019.

The following are some photos of the second floor construction provided the Governing Board by the College management team in the Board agenda at the November 2018 meeting.