FRIENDS OF THE SOUTHWEST WINE CENTER HELP WITH HARVESTING GRAPES AUGUST 3 AT VERDE CAMPUS VINEYARD

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, August 13th, 2020

About three tons of Viognier grapes whose vines were planted in 2012 harvested

The Friends of the Southwest Wine Center were among those who helped  harvest over three tons of Viognier grapes growing  in  the Community College vineyard on the Verde Campus.  The vines producing these  grapes were planted in 2012.

The vineyard is currently planted with different varieties of grape vines on about 12.95 acres of land.

The vineyard  began in 2009 when Merkin Vineyards planted an  entire acre in Negroamaro, a variety native to southern Italy whose name means ‘black bitter. With the success of this planting, Yavapai Community College began effort to develop a vineyard of its own. Finally,  in 2012 it began its own vineyard with volunteers planting three  acres of vines which included Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and Viognier varietals.

The vineyard continued to expand each year until May 2017 when a final acre was planted.  Although there are more than 60 acres of land available to the College to expand the vineyard, it has apparently decided that 12.95 acres is all it can handle.

Pictured below at the table from left to right are Joan Meyers (FoSWC and YCF board member), Lisa Rhodes (YC Human Resources employee), and Suzanne Reed (FoSWC volunteer).  Photo from Yavapai Community College August newsletter.

 

 

 

Categories : Southwest Wine Center

THERAPY & SERVICE DOG TEAM SKILLS AND SERVICE DOG TRAINING AT YAVAPAI CHINO VALLEY CENTER RECEIVE GRANT SUPPORT

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, August 13th, 2020

Arizona Eastern Star Foundation and the Yavapai College Foundation join in $2,500 grant to support increased training for service dogs and handlers

Yavapai Community College offers certification programs in Therapy and Service Dog Team Skills, and Service Dog training at its Chino Valley Center.   These programs are described as providing foundational and advanced training. The College says they offer  homegrown participants the opportunity “to train with their canine companions.” One may take up to  24 credits in the program.

The Community College recently announced that the Arizona Eastern Star Foundation and the Yavapai College Foundation together awarded the canine program a $2,500 grant to support increased training for service dogs and handlers. 

“There’s definitely a need for a program like this,” said Anita Wulf, Past Matron and Service Dog Chairman of Arizona Eastern Star’s Golden Rule Chapter 1. “There are so many people who need a service dog who can’t afford one.”

Demand for service dogs – and the access and independence they offer – has been booming. But thousands of disabled Americans across the country lack the funding to acquire one. Yavapai Community College is believed to be one of the few, possibly the only community college, that offers a program directed at meeting these needs.

The Arizona Eastern Star Foundation’s grant will go directly to the Sage Canine Scholarship Fund, named after a local rescue dog. Sage was adopted by Yavapai Community College’s Canine Program Director Andrea Lloyd and became a model training partner for human and canine students alike.

The courses offered  during various semesters by the Community College appear below.

Categories : Career and Technical Education

EQUIPPING BUILDING “L” ON VERDE CAMPUS NEARING COMPLETION

By R. Oliphant
Sunday, August 9th, 2020

Biology lab; health care training program receive equipment to begin training

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.

Categories : Career and Technical Education, Construction

TRUST INSURANCE CONCERNS AND CDC COMPLIANCE CAUSE SHUT DOWN OF ALL RENTALS AND IN-PERSON EVENTS BY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, August 8th, 2020

Church services, farmers market cannot operate on Prescott Campus during Pandemic; no events at Performing Arts Center; pool, fitness center and tennis courts are closed 

As noted in the previous Blog, the College is insured for liability by the Arizona School Retention Risk Trust for liability and other services.  Because of concern over possible lawsuits arising from persons attending the Farmers Market, which is held on Saturdays, and church services that are held on Sunday, the College has determined they must be moved from the Prescott Campus. In addition, the College says that all in-person events are cancelled. Finally, the pool, fitness center and tennis courts are closed until further notice.

Both the Farmers Market and the Church were renting space from the College for those events. They are looking for other space to hold them in Prescott.  There will also be no in-person events held at the Performing Arts Center. 

The restrictions are required in order to comply with Trust liability insurance concerns and the Center for Disease Control guidelines.  The goal is to keep students, staff and visitors as safe as possible from Covid-19.

The following is a short clip taken from Yavapai Community College President Lisa Rhine’s August 4 statement regarding this issue.

 

Categories : Yavapai Community College

COVID-19 INSURANCE ISSUES CAUSE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO ALTER FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, August 8th, 2020

Governing Board unanimously approves fall semester plan; about  85 percent of classes will be on-line; students and visitors must sign waiver or acknowledgement regarding liability

At a special meeting called for August 4, the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board unanimously approved a new plan for handling fall classes in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.  The new plan was needed because of liability coverage available to the College for Covid-19.

The College is insured by the Arizona School Retention Risk Trust for liability and other services.  The Trust announced that it would provide Covid-19 insurance but there were two requirements.  First, a re-entry plan for fall semester must follow the Federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.  Second, the College must implement a requirement of signed waivers or acknowledgment for all students and visitors.

Because of the trust requirements, the College was forced to change some of its initial re-entry plans.  The re-entry plans cause the College to move from teaching an estimated 70% of students on-line to now about 85%. 

You may view a statement from Yavapai Community College President Lisa Rhine issued August 5  in a slightly edited video below.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION

MEET CHRIS KUKNYO– WILL JOIN YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD IN JANUARY

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, August 6th, 2020

Replacing District #4 representative Pat McCarver

The District #4 seat, which is now occupied by Pat McCarver, will be filled in January by  Chris Kuknyo.  McCarver decided not to run after serving for more than a decade on the Board. Kuknyo is the only person to have completed the paperwork by the filing deadline for the position in that district.

Chris Kuknyo was born in Chicago and moved to Prescott with his family in 1978. He attended Prescott High School and graduated with the class of 84. Out of high school, he went directly into the workforce where he has held a wide variety of jobs from broadcasting to underground mining.

Chris is the co-founder of Patriot Disposal Inc. He has been  actively involved in the Prescott community for many years.  He served on the board of the Prescott Valley Economic Development Foundation, was Chairman of the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2010 and was a Councilman for the City of Prescott from 2011 to 2015.

He has also served as  the Vice President of the Citizens Tax Committee, President of the Zeitz-Prescott sister city organization and Treasurer for the Williamson Valley Community organization.

The following is the letter he sent to Yavapai County Superintendent Tim Carter when he filed for the Yavapai Community College District #4 position.

Dear Mr. Carter:

Yavapai College is one of the greatest assets in the county. It trains our residents for careers in an ever changing workplace. It is an inexpensive start to continuing education for our young people and gets them up to speed for the next step to a university. Our seniors never stop learning through the OLLI program. I, along with most people, see the value in this local resource that is paid for by our property taxes. This support comes with the expectation that our tax dollars need to be spent on our county. When the majority of merit scholarships are given to students from outside the county, outside the state, and sometimes outside of the country, we have lost our focus. Tax increases were becoming the norm until recently. I have seen innovative improvements from the new president and would like to serve on the board to help her and the college continue to make positive changes. Great things happen when we look at the needs of our local community. The nursing program and first responder courses are great examples. Teaming with local industry to train local people so they can make a better wage is also the right way to go. Being ready to assist economic development in bringing good paying clean jobs to our area is a must. We are starting to put the word “Community” back into Yavapai Community College and I want to be a part of that.

I have lived in Prescott since 1978. My wife and I raised our family and started a business here that I sold three years ago. We started with a single truck and built it into a successful business by listening to the needs of the community and watching expenses like a hawk. I will bring my life experience and values to the Board of Yavapai College. I don’t consider myself a politician but feel it’s my duty to serve and give back to the community that has given me so much. I served one term on the Prescott City Council, was president of the PV Chamber of Commerce, Board member of The Prescott Valley Economic Development Foundation and Chairman of the Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planing Organization. I currently serve on the Yavapai County Industrial Development Commission.

In my spare time I head up a watchdog group called The Citizens Tax Committee that holds government accountable for being fiscally responsible and am on the board of the Prescott- Zeitz Germany sister city group.

Should you choose me, I promise to serve, listen and be accountable to you.

Thank You

Chris Kuknyo

Categories : ADMINISTRATION

FINAL TOUCHES ON BUILDING “L” ON VERDE CAMPUS MAKE IT READY FOR FALL SEMESTER

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, August 1st, 2020

Landscaping on south side of facility is completed

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.

Categories : Construction, CTEC

THIRD DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE PAUL CHEVALIER WANTS YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO PRODUCE A MORE TRANSPARENT BUDGET

By R. Oliphant
Friday, July 31st, 2020

Urges transparency in strongly worded statement he was not permitted to read to the Board at General Meeting July 28; ruled not on agenda and no discussion of any kind could be held

Third District Yavapai Community College representative Paul Chevalier has consistently urged the College to produce a much more detailed, transparent budget to the public.  The annual budget is estimated at about $85 million and over 90% of funds come from taxpayers in one form or another.

At the July 28 meeting he again raised this issue and wanted to express to the Board and President Lisa Rhine his views on the subject.  Legal Counsel for the Governing Board ruled he could not read or discuss the issue because it was not on the Board agenda.

The Blog has obtained a copy of his written remarks and they are produced below (with Mr. Chavalier’s permission).  There is also a brief video showing the ruling on the issue by the Board legal counsel.

  Yavapai College Board Meeting Comment on Budget July 28.2020

I have an update comment to the Board and the President concerning the annual Yavapai College budgets that are presented to this Board for its approval. I have recently reviewed the annual budgets of other public entities in our county. I specifically reviewed four major Yavapai County cities 2019/2020 budgets, all of which are available on line. They are as follows:

First in alphabetical order is Cottonwood AZ’s annual budget that was presented to its City Council and is available to the public. It is 310 pages long. It is detailed and transparent.

Next, Prescott AZ’s annual budget – detailed and transparent – it is 307 pages long. 

Next, Prescott Valley AZ’s annual budget  – also a detailed transparent budget. It is 330 pages long.

Finally, Sedona, AZ’s annual budget – it too is a detailed transparent budget and it is 390 pages long.

All Yavapai County city budgets present in detail how public money is being spent and they offer explanations of why it is being spent.

What about nearby colleges and universities budgets?  Are they also detailed and transparent?

To find out I reviewed NAU’s budget.  NAU’s main campus is less than 30 miles from the Yavapai County border.  NAU’s 2019/2020 annual budget can be found online. It is 187 pages long.  Moreover, the print size on many of the NAU budget pages is much smaller than the Yavapai College or City budgets discussed above. If the NAU print size matched those budgets it would have been closer to 300 pages in length.

The NAU budget details individual expenses of each department and details individual expenses of its other major activities.  Not only can one find in the NAU budget detail on how the money was spent for each academic discipline but also one can read the detail of how the money was spent on activities such as information technology and athletics. 

The Yavapai College budget is neither detailed nor transparent. Its 2019/2020 budget is just 28 pages long. I do not have the exact length of the 2020/2021 Yavapai College budget handy but I am aware it is little different from its 2019/2020 budget length. It is impossible to be detailed or transparent in a 28 page Yavapai College budget.

 Members of the public in my district have discussed why Yavapai College won’t provide detailed transparent annual budgets to its Board and to the public.  

Our immediate past President had been blamed for not making the college budgets transparent. People now realize that if the blame were only with the past President then this situation would have changed when she left office a year and a half ago.

 It did not change.

Members of the public has been discussing why this is so.

The prime reason discussed by members of the public is that the college leadership refuses to provide detailed financial information because with this knowledge members of the public or a member of the Board might challenge the college on how it spends some of the public’s money.

The less detail the Board or the public is given about how the college spends money the easier it is for college leadership to spend it their way without questions being asked. Yavapai College leadership doesn’t want checks and balances over its power.

 This thinking, of course, ignores the fact that one of the key purposes of the rule of law is to control people in public power from abusing it. That is a key element of our democracy. Withhold transparency and democracy erodes. We need to insure our public actions support our democracy. Refuse to do that and we lose our freedom.

I will address another possible reason voiced by some members of the public that I respect. It is more even alarming than the reason already discussed and you should be made aware of it.  It is this  – some of the people in power at Yavapai College do not want the Board, or the public, or you, madam President, to know where all the money has gone that the College has or is taking in. The public audit required by law will not reveal it. It would take a transparent detailed public budget to account for all the money used and that is why some people believe the college is avoiding financial transparency.

I do not want to believe that corruption exists at the college but that belief is gaining traction. No good reason has ever been given for the college’s lack of budget transparency. It is not the practice of other major public entities in our county. I see no way to justify it.  Neither does anyone I have talked with.

If there is nothing to hide, why hide anything?

We are in a time in America of anger, fear, frustration and distrust with public protests brought on by multiple factors coalescing including high unemployment, increasing poverty, a deadly pandemic, racial discrimination, police brutality, corruption and assorted other abuses of government power. Out of this environment the public’s cry for transparency is permeating activist America.

Our local public’s suspicion generated by Yavapai College’s refusal to be financially transparent needs to be acknowledged not ignored. The college needs to maintain and further gain the public’s respect and trust. Refusing to disclose complete detailed financial information does the opposite.

All the Yavapai County City Governments discussed here provide detailed transparent budgets to the public and their elected city councils. NAU provides transparent budgets to the public and its Board.  Yavapai College needs to join them and become totally open to the public’s financial scrutiny and it needs to do it with its next budget.

Ignorance is the friend of tyranny and the enemy of democracy. Our college’s job is to reduce ignorance.  And yet when it comes to its own finances our college seeks to keep the public ignorant. Complete budget transparency is the right thing to do. Additionally it is the prudent course of action to take. The college should not risk harming its reputation by fighting complete public financial transparency any longer.  

Lisa, I am in touch with the public of my district. I am presenting to you here what I have been told, what I have observed and my personal research. I hope you find this helpful in making the decision on the depth of the content of the next college budget.

Paul Chevalier

Categories : GOVERNING BOARD

MEET MITCH PADILLA – WILL JOIN YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD IN SEPTEMBER

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, July 30th, 2020

Prescott lawyer and student advisor/lecturer  via his LLC will take Steve Irwin’s  District  #5 seat

Prescott criminal defense lawyer Mitch Padilla will join the Yavapai Community College Governing Board in September as the representative from District #5.  This District was represented by Steve Irwin who left the seat earlier in 2020  to run for County Supervisor. No one filed for the District #5 position by the deadline other than Mr. Padilla.

Mr. Padilla ran for Prescott Justice of the Peace in 2018 but was defeated in the Republican primary that year by Glenn Savona.  The seat on the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board is nonpartisan.

In addition to his law practice, Mr. Padilla operates a business called “My College Roadmap, LLC.”  He writes on his LLC website that “I  consistently address the importance of finding ways to pay for college in order to keep student loan debt to a minimum or eliminate it altogether.”  He offers seminars at high schools and attends fairs.  You may view the “My Roadmap, LLC” website by clicking here.

Mr. Padilla  grew up in Southern California and graduated from Cantwell High School in Montebello. Following graduation, he  enlisted in the U.S. Navy and while there  earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree from Chapman University in Orange, California.

He later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of San Diego and a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.  He and his family  moved to Kingman and then settled in Prescott in 2008. He joined the Arizona Attorney General’s office and resigned in 2018 to set up private practice in Prescott. 

The following is the letter he sent to Yavapai County School Superintendent Tim Carter when he filed for the Yavapai Community College District #5 position.

“Hello Friends,

“My name is Mitch Padilla, a local attorney and resident of the Granite Dells community in Prescott. I am running for the Yavapai College Board, District # 5. It is an area that encompasses Yavapai Hills north to the Prescott Airport, south to the Walker area, and east to Prescott Valley (Fain Road).

“I am running for this Non-Partisan position because I am a proponent of higher education no matter what format it comes in. I believe that education should be affordable, but not necessarily free. Education should be accessible to everyone who wants it, but not so overwhelming that it intimidates those who may seek it. As a board member, I will look for ways to increase access to education while at the same time ensuring that Yavapai County taxpayers are never taken advantage of in their financial support of Yavapai College.

“SOME KEYS FACTS ABOUT ME:

“I have lived in Arizona since 2006; Prescott since 2008

“I currently serve as a Tri-City College Prep High School Board Member; since 2015

“I currently serve as a Yavapai Regional Transit Board Member; since 2018

“I created a business, My College Roadmap, in order to inform and educate high school students and parents on how to navigate the college application process.

“I am a practicing attorney in Prescott; primarily handling criminal defense cases

“I am a US Navy Veteran of 22 years

“MY OWN EDUCATION CONSISTS OF:

“Thomas Jefferson School of Law; Juris Doctor (JD)

“University of San Diego; Master of Business Administration (MBA)

“Chapman University; Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA)

“VISIT MY WEBSITES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME:

“www.mycollegeroadmap.net

“mitchpadillalaw@gmail.com

“Thank you!

“~ The General Election is Tuesday, November 3, 2020 ~”

Categories : GOVERNING BOARD

TWO NEW GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS MOST LIKELY DETERMINED FOR SIX YEAR POSITIONS ARE PADILLA AND KUKNYO

By R. Oliphant
Wednesday, July 29th, 2020

Filings show the yawning public interest in overseeing work of $85 million County Community College as only one candidate in each of District #4 and #5 completed paperwork for position by deadline

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board will have two new members joining it shortly.  Absent an unusual happening prior to August 20, data from Yavapai County’s Superintendent’s office (https://ycesa.com/election-candidates/), shows only one candidate has qualified to fill the District 5 seat vacated by Steve Irwin. While the time for completing paperwork has expired,  there is always a  remote possibility  someone may file to  become a write in candidate.

 The person completing the appropriate paperwork for the position in District #5 is Mitch Padilla.  Padilla will most likely be sworn in sometime in September because the seat is vacant. Steve Irwin vacated the seat earlier in the year to run for Yavapai County Supervisor.

The District #4 seat, which is now occupied by Pat McCarver, will most likely be filled in January by  Chris Kuknyo.  McCarver decided not to run after serving for more than a decade on the Board. Kuknyo is the only person to have completed the paperwork by the filing deadline for the position in that district.

Below is a four minute Governing Board discussion regarding these two seats and the election.

Categories : GOVERNING BOARD
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