The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board has announced its fall schedule. Its first business meeting is set for September 24, which is almost four months since it last met on May 21. Two of the fall meetings are scheduled at the Prescott Campus Rock House while one will be held on the Clarkdale Campus.
The December meeting on the schedule is a Governing Board dinner.
Yavapai Community College is promoting the 41 acre Pines Camp it purchased in May as a tranquil setting surrounded by the scenic Prescott National Forest. The camp boasts ample trails for hiking and mountain biking, a gorgeous pool, Goldwater Lake is just half a mile away, and other amenities.
This summer, the College has been investing significant time and money into renovating several apartment buildings at the 41-acre Pines Camp, with a total investment of approximately $11 million. The Aspen, Cypress, Manzanita, and Sycamore apartment buildings have all undergone major renovation.
The Aspen apartment building consists of 10 bedrooms, with two students per room. Aspen includes a common bathroom down the hall, as well as a shared kitchen and family room with a fireplace. This summer, the interior was renovated with new kitchen counters, bathroom tiles, kitchen cabinets, flooring, and appliances. The exterior was also completely repainted.
Manzanita is a four-unit apartment building with four students in each apartment. Each Manzanita unit includes en suite bathrooms, as well as a shared kitchen and family room. This summer, four existing interior restrooms were demolished and converted into kitchens with appropriate appliances, cabinets, and flooring. The remaining four restrooms were renovated, and new roofing was added.
Sycamore is a two-unit apartment building with two students in each one-room studio. Each Sycamore studio includes an en suite bathroom and a kitchen. The interior renovations included new kitchen counters, new plumbing, and the addition of concrete patios and surrounding sidewalks. Old playground equipment was removed as part of the upgrades.
Cypress is a two-unit apartment building with four students in each bedroom. Each Cypress unit includes en suite bathrooms, as well as a shared kitchen and family room. The current status of this building is not entirely clear, although it is believed to be on the renovation list.
The College aims to complete new roofing on about 25 buildings by the end of August. The beautiful outdoor pool has been refilled, and new pumps, filters, chemicals, and other necessary items have been added. It is anticipated that the pool will be ready for swimming by August, if not sooner.
Additionally, underground utility work continues as the Community College makes electrical improvements between buildings and works to remove old overhead electrical services. Underground water and wastewater improvements are ongoing, with the College adding meters, valves, and preparing to install another storage tank onsite.
On July 25 Yavapai Community College awarded 16 Emergency Medical Service certificates to students as they completed the rigorous Paramedic Training Program. “You have chosen a path that demands courage, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to serving others,” Yavapai College Community College EMS Program Director Alexander Lewis said in addressing the paramedics. “I have no doubt that you will rise to meet these demands and make us all proud.”Even before the fall 2024 semester began, Yavapai Community College initiated its cultural learning mission with an impressive lineup at the Performing Arts Center on the Prescott Campus. These events, allegedly aligned with the College’s mission, are expected to attract over a thousand attendees at a time to the Performing Arts Center.
While these outstanding programs primarily benefit the residents of Prescott and Prescott Valley, the College faces challenges in offering similar opportunities in the Sedona/Verde Valley area and other more semi-rural or rural areas in the County. It has yet to overcome those challenges. This has been the case for the past few decades.
Shown below are the major programs announced for August at the Performing Arts Center.
The College Mission “Yavapai College enriches our community by providing accessible, quality workforce, transfer, lifelong, and cultural learning opportunities.”
Employees will be prioritized on a first come, first served basis with those earning between $50,000 and $75,000 given priority. Also available are 14 RV pads with full service for students and staff. Renters of houses and RV pads receive free amenities including laundry facilities, an outdoor pool, an indoor gym, a game room, community grills & gazebos, and access to USFS trail system. Following renovation beginning in September, it is anticipated the first house will become available in October
Yavapai Community College is launching a rental program for staff and students at the 41-acre Prescott Pines camp. The college has invested at least $11 million so far in total in this project since its purchase in Spring 2024.
Full-time employees are given the first opportunity to rent one of the ten houses or one of the 14 RV pads located at the site when they become available.
Several of the RV pads are apparently already available for rental. However, because the College plans to renovate one house per month beginning in September, the first house is expected to be ready for occupancy in October 2024.
At the Prescott Pines location, the following rentals are available to full-time employees:
It is estimated that the Prescott Pines facility is about a 15 minute drive from the Prescott Campus. It is estimated to be about a 25 minute drive to either the Prescott Valley Center or the Career and Technical Education Center at the Prescott airport from the Pines.
Interested full-time employees should contact the housing department for additional information or go to the housing department website: https://www.yc.edu/v6/facilities/housing/pines/.
Yavapai Community College is moving forward, apparently with MICTED sharing in the cost (although not entirely clear), in construction of a new culinary training facility on its Prescott Campus. This new project involves a major renovation of a portion of Building 4 and is expected to take six months. Demolition and construction were anticipated to begin in mid-July, 2024.
Recall, that the Community College and the Mountain Institute Career and Technical Education District (MICTED) had much earlier this year decided to collaborate on establishing a culinary training facility at the College’s Chino Valley Center. This initiative was said to be inspired by the success of the existing training program at Prescott High School, which operates under the auspices of the Mountain Institute.
The proposed Chino Valley facility, estimated to cost around $1.5 million, was to be jointly financed, with each partner contributing $750,000. Construction was set to begin immediately following approval by the District Governing Board at its May 2024 meeting.
However, unexpectedly, the College announced in the March 2024 Facilities Management Newsletter that the “MICTED/YC Culinary project was canceled for the Chino Valley Agribusiness Center.” No explanation was provided, and the College mentioned that options were being reviewed to potentially house this program at another YC campus or center.
The new culinary training facility on the Prescott Campus was not included in the College’s most recent Master Plan and the joint costs to be shared, if any, have not been made public. Moreover, the approval status of the project by the District Governing Board remains unclear. However, since it is technically classified by the College as a “renovation” rather than a new capital expenditure, College leadership may believe that formal public Board approval is unnecessary. The tactic of not publicly discussing such projects and obtaining public input prior to construction potentially keeps them out of the public eye and prevents taxpayers from asking questions about them until after they are completed.
The Yavapai Community College Foundation has announced a 30-day, $25,000 matching grant donation challenge to help with scholarships and operations of the Del E. Webb Family Enrichment Center (FEC). The challenge is a result of a generous donation from Yavapai Community College District Governing Board member, Ray Sigafoos.
The donation described by the Community College in its press release, as slightly edited, follows below:
With this donation, every dollar contributed to the FEC through August 13 will be matched up to $25,000, effectively doubling the impact of any community member’s donation.
The FEC is a child development center located on the Prescott campus of Yavapai College. It provides a safe, nurturing, child-centered program that focuses on promoting children’s learning. As a laboratory school, the FEC provides a setting for Yavapai College early childhood education students to develop the skills and competencies necessary for careers with young children. Learn more about the FEC online at www.yc.edu/fec.
“We are deeply grateful for the generous matching donation from Ray Sigafoos,” said Victoria Sweet, Director of the Del E. Webb Family Enrichment Center. “His support not only bolsters our operating budget, but also provides scholarships for children in need of care. This contribution will have a profound impact on our staff and the children we serve, fostering excellence throughout our center.”
Ray Sigafoos is the present District 1 representative on the District Governing Board. He has been a member since 2005. He is a graduate of NAU and has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 1971. He has served on the boards of a number of institutions over the years, including the Prescott Fine Arts Association, the Phippen Art Museum, the Primavera School, the Yavapai Community Hospital Association, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“I was Board Chair in 2007 when the FEC was dedicated,” said Sigafoos. “During my dedication speech I donated $2,000 and challenged the board to make a similar donation. As to the recent challenge, I have the ability and desire to see that FEC continues in its mission. I hope that the challenge is successful.”
“How exciting it is to have a donor want to make such a personal impact for the Del E. Webb Family Enrichment Center,” said Community College Executive Director Mary Talosi. “Hopefully, this will encourage the community to join Mr. Sigafoos in his endeavor to support the Center, the early childhood development program, the faculty, staff and most importantly, the children of the FEC.”
Those wishing to donate to the FEC may do so online at www.yc.edu/FEC25K.
Robert Oliphant, Editor
OPINION: The modest 10-space trailer park on the Verde Campus is at full capacity for fall 2024. According to rental information from Yavapai Community College, a waitlist for January 2025 is already forming.
This trailer park wasn’t even a part of the Master Plan discussed in concept and approved back in November 2022, which means there are no past or future plans for it in the College’s blueprint. Moreover, the Governing Board has seemingly sidelined or completely eliminated the $9 million initially approved in concept for Verde Valley Campus housing. Instead, it appears this money has been redirected to cover the cost of a 41-acre camp purchased in May 2024 for Prescott, another project absent from the Master Plan approved in concept in November 2022..
Once again, Sedona and the Verde Valley find themselves at the losing end of the deal. If the popularity of this small trailer park experiment proves anything, it’s the evident need for on-campus student housing—much like the comprehensive facilities suggested in the November 2022 Master Plan approved in concept.
However, the failure of the Cottonwood apartment project, poor planning as related to the desert trailer park, and the apparent necessity to divert Sedona/Verde Valley property taxes to fund the rapid expansion on the Prescott side of Mingus Mountain, suggest that the long-overdue housing development for the Verde Valley will once again be ignored by the Prescott Community College powerful.
This situation highlights a concerning pattern: the critical needs of Sedona and the Verde Valley are consistently ignored, despite clear evidence and pressing demands.
Hours are from 4-6 p.m. at the campus located at 611 W. Black Hills Drive, Clarkdale, Arizona
The Yavapai Community College Verde Valley Campus will have an Open House on August 8, 2024. The hours of the open house are from 4-6 p.m. at its campus located at 611 W. Black Hills Drive, Clarkdale, Arizona.
The Verde Valley Campus is home to more than twelve distinct degree programs and 20 certificate programs, in vocations ranging from Accounting to Nursing to Viticulture and the building trades.
Interested residents and potential students will have the opportunity to:
Refreshments will be served, and prize drawings will be held for a Chrome Book, Amazon gift cards and more.