Were those dollars wasted as College decides only months later and one semester of classes to build a $10 million commercial lab to teach brewery technology? Many questions remain unanswered
It was less than a year ago that the Community College completed major expensive renovation of facilities in Building “G” on the Verde Campus to support Brewery Technology classes. Those classes opened for the first time August 16, 2021.
At the time, the College indicated it had set up an industry-standard pilot-brewery similar to those used by breweries to make small batches of beer for experimentation. Michael Pierce, the director of enology and viticulture at the College’s Southwest Wine Center, was quoted as saying the new beer facility will not be doing a “tap” because the focus is on training students who are employable.
As created, students taking the Brewery Technology classes have a small pilot-brewery, a series of fermenters, a brew station, and some smaller brew kettles to make beer on their own. The Community College indicated it did not intend to grow hops or other crops on its vacant 80 acres of land on the Verde Valley Campus. Rather, it intended to purchase hops from sources in the town of Camp Verde.
Questions about the decision to invest $10 million are many. A few of them include the following: Why wasn’t the public and the Governing Board given better information and details about the project before it was announced in May as a part of the $90 million dollar budget? Is there a need based on data for training large numbers of students in making beer? Will students who obtain certificates in Beer making be able to obtain well-paying jobs comparable to those who complete hi-tech CTE classes? Why invest in a large commercial brewing facility when there is a need to train students in hi-tech career and technical education jobs that may pay up to $75,000 with a two year degree? Is this an effort to generate additional College revenue to be used for operations/scholarships while teaching some students? Over the long-run, without student housing, will it attract outside students to supplement the always needed minimum of 12 students per class? Will the construction cost be supplemented by the College Foundation as was the Southwest Wine Center? Is there a business plan? If so where is it?
Photo Source: Yavapai College Facilities Management News dated September and November 2021 (November photos were taken by Mike Walsh and provided to the College for publication in the Facilities Management News.) https://www.yc.edu/v6/facilities/docs/newsletters/2021-09-facilities-management-newsletter.pdf and November 2021. https://www.yc.edu/v6/facilities/docs/newsletters/2021-11-facilities-management-newsletter.pdf
