Approximately 20,000 west side County residents will experience a variety of 37 cultural programs between August and December 31; approximately 500 east side County residents will experience seven cultural programs (six free) on that side of the County during same time period

If you want a real headache, consider the problem faced by the new Community College President, Lisa Rhine, to try and find ways to balance College cultural activities, programs and events between the west side of the County (Prescott/Prescott Valley and more) and the east side of the County (Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Sedona and more). Historically, the imbalance has drawn only minimal concern from the College. Dr. Rhine is facing the issue head-on.

The current programing by the College from August thru December of 2019 lists 37 major culture driven programs the College will in some form be a participate.  (13 of these programs involve the College music and arts department.) On the east side of the County, it will sponsor seven programs, most of which are free.

With a Community College Performing Arts Center that seats around 1,100 persons, the west side of the County appears to have a huge advantage over the east side.  With more than 37 cultural programs scheduled in the next five months, many of which are sellouts, the Prescott Campus will be visited by at least 20,000 residents.  Meanwhile, about 500 persons will experience some cultural programming on the east side of the County.  (West side County population about 145,000; east side County population about 74,000.)

Cultural concert experiments on the east side of the County have failed to yield wide-spread audience appeal, with an exception here and there.

The new president is facing tough questions or assertions like the following:   (1) The Performing Arts Center should be sold and the College limit involvement and lease back time for its academic music and arts department programs only. (2) Any nonacademic program should pay for all of its costs including its portion of maintenance on building, equipment, and any use of faculty/staff time. It is currently believed that the costs of building and equipment maintenance and depreciation are not included in the costs associated with running non-academic programs (those such as Clint Black, Leann Rimes, Louie Anderson, Satellite series, and 20 more). (3) Taxpayers must not subsidize any portion of the non-academic programs, which some argue, has been the case since the Performing Arts Center was opened.

Solutions will not come easy.

Residents learn College Governing Board can provide little assistance to answer simple questions if they involve “operations”

Residents of Yavapai County are learning that their elected representatives on the Community College Governing Board are unwilling or unable to help them with answers to fairly simple questions about the Community College.  At least, that is what some believe after an effort was made by them to find out the cost and reasons for building new College Foundation offices in a portion of the library on the Prescott Campus.

One of the residents, for example, recently sent an email to Governing Board member Steve Irwin asking if he “could you shed some light on a . . .  report that the College plans to build a partition in the college library to provide office/meeting space for the Yavapai College Foundation?”

The Governing Board administrator, not Mr. Irwin, responded as follows:

“Thank you for your concern and for reaching out to our District Governing Board Member. Unfortunately the Board’s responsibility doesn’t include the day-to-day operations and activities on the campus. The president of the College has the responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interest of our students, employees, and the community, including operational decisions.”

There was no information or direction given to the resident about who  to contact or how to contact anyone at the college who could  deal with answering the question appropriately. There was no effort by Mr. Irwin to lend a hand regarding where to go with the question so it could be answered.

Later, this same constituent received a copy of the Community College Governing Board Policy Manual from the Governing Board administrator.  

As of today, exactly how operation questions from taxpayer residents like this are to be handled by the Community College appears to remain a mystery.  It is hoped the new College President will create a process where residents can ask questions about the College activities that involve “operations” and receive answers. “Operations” appear to be about 95% of what the President does.

Costs and reasons for construction of offices  in this area of the Prescott Campus library remain a mystery.