Participants express strong views on need for significant ten-year development on the Verde Valley Campus/Sedona Center for housing, enhancing CTE, expanding viticulture program, developing Sedona Center Culinary, paying more attention to outlying areas, and much more
Sedona/Verde Valley residents gathered in room 137 of building “M” on December 6 to voice their views on the future of the Verde Campus in Clarkdale and the Sedona Center. The gathering of around sixty included political representatives including Sedona’s mayor and vice mayor and members of the local town and city councils. There were also interested east side citizens and a few faculty from the Verde Campus.
For about 45 minutes the attendees shared their ideas on the future of the Verde Campus/Sedona Center. In general, they saw a need for faculty/student housing on campus, enhanced and expanded Career and Technical Education facilities, an enhanced and expanded vineyard and viticulture program, an expanded and improved culinary facility at the Sedona Center, and continued support and expansion of the allied health programs. They also encouraged the College to consider adding programs that are not included on the east side of the County (such as music and theatre).
There were concerns from some about the composition of the present ten-year plan steering committee, which consists of fourteen persons from Prescott and only two from the Verde Valley.
There were also expressions of concern among some that ten years ago the same planning team now once again doing the planning had created a $103.5 million dollar development plan with over 95% of development on the west side of the County. There were hopeful expressions that a new ten-year plan would not yield a similar result.
The discussion was directed by a member of the Smith Group consulting organization, the group that has been again hired to draft a ten-year development plan for the Community College.