Architects already drawing up plans; goal is to open CTE facility by fall 2021; college has already located some CTE training facilities in Building “L” so new building will complement courses already offered there

A new  CTE 10,000 square foot building will be going up on the Verde Campus over the next year that will house phase one of Yavapai Community College’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) expansion on the east side of  Yavapai County.  The $3.4 facility is intended to  offer CTE  training in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and Vet Tech. The decision puts to rest for now  the effort by the Community College to find a suitable location for CTE training on Highway 260 between Cottonwood and Camp Verde.

This is considered the first phase of the CTE expansion with the College prepared to expand the new building in increments of  10,000 square feet when needed. The vision is for a final building of at least 30,000 square feet for CTE training.

The College reported that it had made an offer in the spring  to lease property for a CTE facility on Highway #260 but its offer was turned down when the owner found a buyer.  Since then, a realtor hired by the College has sought out other possible east county locations for the CTE facility without success. Community College advocates and others on the east side of the County had urged a highway #260 site.

Locating the CTE facility on the campus had several benefits, according to the College.  Among other benefits, it would reduce overall costs by providing access to existing administrative and support services.

The College found driving time from the Sedona and the Cottonwood areas to the Verde Campus about the same as locating a facility on highway #260. Locating the facility on the Verde Campus adds about 13-15 minutes to the campus drive for Camp Verde residents when compared to locating a facility on Highway $260.

The College pointed out that some high schools on the west side of the County make much longer drives to the CTEC facility over there for training than the distances high schools would drive on the east side to reach the Verde Campus in Clarkdale.   (see video).

Although the video is not that clear, it appears the vote was 4-1 with Chair Deb McCasland dissenting. 

The location of the new CTE building is shown on the diagram below, which  was provided to the Governing Board at its Tuesday meeting. 

A 28 minute unedited  clip of the meeting devoted to this subject is provided below.