The struggle between the Verde Valley and Prescott over where to locate the first Community College in the County
The political fight over location began in 1965
An essay about the origin of the Community College
The origin of the struggle between the east and west sides of Yavapai County over the location of its first community college began in 1965. That year the idea of creating a Yavapai County junior college sprang up among Prescott residents on the west side of the County. The Yavapai Community College Timeline reports that in November 1965 Mrs. Merle (Opal) Allen, Prescott P.T.A. President, received a list of reasons from Doctor R.A. Perry suggesting that the time was ripe to form a Junior College. A meeting was held under the sponsorship of the Prescott P.T.A. Following the meeting a campaign to support a County Junior College District was launched.
November 8, 1966, County voters approve new Junior College District
On November 8, 1966 County voters approved formation of a Junior College District. However, the exact location of the Junior College within the County remained to be determined. Prescott residents no doubt assumed that the College would be located on the west side of Yavapai County in that city.
However, Verde Valley leaders surprised Prescott supporters when they launched a political campaign to persuade the Arizona Junior College Board to locate the community college on the east side of the County. Both sides of the political battle recognized the potential significant economic impact and educational value such an institution would bring to their areas. The State Junior College Board would make the final decision.
$1.5 financing, 100k gift, 164 acres offered to the Verde Valley
In their quest to locate the first community college on their side of Yavapai County, a group of Verde Valley citizens approached the Gulf States and Industries Corporation asking for help. In response, the Corporation produced a stunning proposal. It offered to provide $1.5 million in financing for student dormitories and a student center. It also offered an outright financial gift of $100,000 for building purposes. Finally, the corporation offered to donate 164 acres of what was described as “prime land in the Clarkdale area” of the Verde Valley on which to build the new community college.
The Prescott citizen group pushing to have the community college located there were little deterred by the proposal coming from the east side of the County. They argued that the decision to locate the community college in Prescott was self-evident. They pointed to the number and location of graduating seniors in the County at that time as a major factor favoring Prescott. They also said they had an offer of free land from the wealthy Fain Family and the City of Prescott. Finally, they said there was an opportunity to purchase additional land from the Bureau of Land Management.
The First Decision State Board votes for Prescott
The hotly contested question of where to locate the community college came before the State Junior College Board on December 19, 1966. Much to the chagrin of the east side politicians, the State Board selected Prescott. On December 20, 1966, the Prescott City Council authorized the process for the sale of 46 acres next to the Whipple Veterans Administration to be sold to the College.
A Second Chance
The east side politicians were unwilling to accept the decision by the State Junior College Board. They complained to the Yavapai County Supervisors about the unfairness of the decision. In response, the Supervisors asked the State Junior College Board to review the location decision. To the surprise of some, the State Board honored the request and reopened the location issue.
Given a second chance, east side politicians sought expert assistance from Northern Arizona University (NAU). They asked NAU to conduct an independent review of the proposed Prescott and Verde Valley sites. NAU agreed to their request and in a short time NAU completed a review and analysis. To the delight and relief of the east side politicians, NAU recommended Clarkdale as the more desirable location for the first Yavapai Community College.
Final State Board Decision; Prescott again selected as site
The State Junior College Board convened once again to discuss the hotly contested question of the location of the first community college in Yavapai County on February 20, 1967. East side politicians held out great hope that their proposal to locate the first community college on the east side of Yavapai County would be accepted.
The east side effort failed. Despite the generous corporate offer, and the NAU independent site recommendation, Prescott was again selected as the site for the first community college in Yavapai County by the State Junior College Board. The east side politicians returned home oozing disappointment.
Verde Valley citizens plead for held from Arizona’s Governor
In a last ditch political effort to change the State Junior College Board decision, the east side politicians in the guise of the Verde Valley Jaycees appealed to Arizona’s governor John “Jack” Williams. They asked him to reconsider the site selection process. To their chagrin, the Governor rejected their request. He wrote that he had “looked into the matter and finds that the board has acted and there is no recourse for this office.”
Verde Valley citizens outraged at decision
The local newspaper, the Verde Independent, reported on the Verde Valley citizen outrage at the decision by the State Junior College Board. It observed that many citizens had written the Governor protesting the State Junior College Board’s site selection decision. Most writers questioned why the Board had totally ignored the offer of Gulf States and Industries of $1.5 million financing for student dormitories and a student center, an outright gift of $100,000 for building purposes, and 165 acres of prime land.
Citizens almost reject $2.4 million bond issue for College
Although Prescott was selected as the location for the County Community College by the State Junior College Board, voters on the east side of the County in the Verde Valley remained upset and opposed. Their opposition was reflected on May 23, 1967 when a County-wide election was held on the question of whether to approve a $2.5 million bond issue to build the new community college. When the votes were tallied, the Bond received approval by a 107-vote margin (3,011 to 2,904). It is believed that most of the opposition came from east side residents.
Once voters approved the construction bond, plans for developing the college moved ahead. It held its first classes in fall of 1969. In February 1970, the College dedicated its first buildings on the Prescott Campus on a site that was once part of Fort Whipple. Fort Whipple was the military base constructed in 1864 to provide security and protection for Prescott, which at the time was Arizona’s territorial capital.
Conclusion
In the head-to-head clash over where to locate the first community (junior) college in Yavapai County, it seems quite apparent that the east side Verde Valley citizens failed to possess the political power or match Prescott’s influence with the State Junior College Board. Given the result, one might suspect that the political contest over community college development had ended. However, it would continue for the next half century.