Archive for Beer projects
“Postponement” announcement buried in Yavapai Community College Facilities Management Newsletter of October 2022 | Length of postponement unclear | Governing Board and public await an explanation
The rumor has been circulating in the Verde Valley that the Yavapai Community College Administration has “postponed” development of the Ten Million dollar Verde Valley beer brewing brewery project. Although there has been no formal announcement made to the public or the District Governing Board about the project, the Blog discovered an announcement of the postponement buried in the October 2022 Facilities Management Newsletter.
Why the public, or at least the District Governing Board, was not informed of the reasons for the postponement or the expected length of the delay at the October meeting is puzzling. But this project is one that the College administration has tried very hard to keep details secret as much as possible from public scrutiny.
The general definition of “postponed” is that something will take place at a time later than that first scheduled. The College administration might inform the public and the Board at its meeting in November about what has changed its plans for the project. So far the College has invested thousands of dollars in preliminary planning and architectural drawings, which will go to waste if the project is eventually abandoned.
Moreover, will the postponement mean no request for a tax increase in May?
Below is a copy of the announcement found in the College Facilities and Management Newsletter of October 2022.
College says it will take about 90 days before it can provide the Public Records data requested unless he narrows query
In May 2022 the Yavapai Community College administration asked the Governing Board to approve expending $10 million on developing a commercial brewery/distiller somewhere on the east side of the County. The information provided the Governing Board was sparse. However, it did inform the Board that the brewery would be housed in a 14,000 square foot new building.
Despite having little information, the Governing Board approved the expenditure by a 4-1 vote. Third District Board representative Paul Chevalier dissented.
The approval came despite the fact the Board had received no hard data showing an actual need for such a facility. Or, hard data showing the potential number of graduates from such a program, the number who might be employed in the brewing industry after receiving a certificate or degree, or the estimated starting salaries of students with a certificate.
To make matters worse, the Governing Board had not debated or even discussed the pros and cons of using funds for a brewery versus using the funds for expanding the small Skills Trade Center with a goal of providing a wide variety of high-tech training opportunities to a large number of east County residents.
Representative Paul Chevalier made it clear at the meeting that he opposed the expenditure until he had more information justifying spending this much money for the project. (The College already has a small brewing lab in Building “G” on the Yavapai Campus and registration for the fall 2022 course offerings was not full.) His stated preference was to use the funds to expand hi-tech training programs where job opportunities are many and starting salaries high.
Following the May meeting, Chevalier made several attempts to obtain additional information about the expenditure from the Community College. However, the Community College shut the door on him, with approval from the Governing Board chair, at every turn. In frustration he submitted a Public Records Request to the Community College asking for details and data about the brewery project.
The College responding to his request by informing him that he will have to pay $2,500 for the information and it will take about 90 days to assemble it. Otherwise, he must find a way to reduce his request.
According to Mr. Chevalier, he is considering his options. As an elected official who is supposed to be able to fully inform his constituents of College programs and development, he is puzzled by the College’s sustained effort to keep so much data and information from him and his constituents.
Yavapai Community College’s response to Representative Chevalier’s Public Records request follows below.
Good morning, Mr. Chevalier,
In researching your recent Public Records Request form, we have identified 3700+ emails and mail with lengthy attachments. The total request is 10,000+ pages with a cost of $2,500.00 due before the documents are provided. Additionally, each email must be read, and any personal identifiers redacted so this will take some time to produce. We are estimating at least 90 days.
Would you prefer to tighten the scope of your Public Records Request form or proceed with your original Public Records Request form as written? If you choose the latter, please remit payment of $2,500.00. Once received, we will begin the process.
Believes expenditure should focus on expanding facilities to train students in high-paying CTE jobs fearing Brewery/distilling courses will provide only a tiny number of such opportunities; says College provided Board insufficient data showing need for Brewery training when presenting budget; subsequent informal requests for data after Board meeting have not been answered
Third District Representative to the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board, Paul Chevalier, has been an outspoken opponent of spending $10 million on developing a commercial brewing/distilling program to replace the existing program in the Verde Valley. (See fall registration below.)
During the May Governing Board meeting where the $10 million expenditure was approved 4-1, he argued the Community College should focus on using the money to develop a wide variety of high-tech training opportunities for Verde Valley students that may pay as much as $75,000 upon receiving a two-year certificate. He questioned whether a brewing program had the same potential. (Hear his arguments during the May Governing Board meeting by clicking here.)
Chevalier also raised the question of whether the College had conducted a sufficient needs assessment. One that would show that there is a significant need for a brewing/distilling program in the Verde Valley. There was no answer to this question at the May meeting.
Since the Governing Board meeting in May, Chevalier, who was interviewed by the Blog, says he has tried to obtain data from the Community College that would support using the money for a brewing program rather than a high-tech program. Specifically, data that would show a need for such training that would lead to high paying jobs for numbers of Verde Valley residents. However, his requests for data directed to the Community College have been rejected. The College administration’s refusal to provide such information has been supported by the Governing Board Chair.
In a last ditch attempt to obtain reliable data from the College, if it exists, Chevalier has turned to the Arizona Public Records law in an effort to obtain the information used by the College administration to make the $10 million recommendation to the Board. He is now awaiting a reply from the College to his Public Records request.
FALL 2022 ENROLLMENT IN VERDE CAMPUS BREWING PROGRAM
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
Administration says expenditure will fund a 14,000 square foot commercial lab facility focusing on Brewing and Distilling beer; communication on project to public and Board EXTREMELY poor at best; Third District Rep strongly prefers funds be used for a second CTE facility to train Valley residents and students for hi-tech, well-paying jobs but is ignored
Nothing is clear in the 2022-2023 Community College capital budget, approved by the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board 4-1, when it comes to expending almost $10 million on building a beer brewing commercial lab facility in the Verde Valley. Despite the almost total lack of information, the budget containing this expenditure was approved with one dissent at the May 17 District Governing Board meeting.
All that is definitely known is that the facility will be located somewhere in the Verde Valley. (See Budget Exhibit 12 below showing expenditure as approved.) (See also video clips of presentation and discussion by clicking here.)
The only information during the Board meeting regarding this facility and its purpose came when Third District Representative Paul Chevalier tried to obtain some details from College Vice President Clint Ewell. Ewell said, in part, in response to Mr. Chevalier’s questions that “our preliminary estimates are about 14,000 square feet to build a commercial lab facility to teach brewing and distilling.” (See video clip by clicking here.) He indicated that the College will most likely then be selling beer in addition to wine. “That’s why we’re going with the larger commercial (site or size),” said Ewell.
The focus in the budget on a major beer facility came as a surprise to Board members who in March 2022 were presented with a draft capital budget. In that budget the College focus clearly appeared to be on expanding the current Verde Valley Skills Center by an expenditure of almost $10 million over a three-year period.
There had been some reference to expanding the current beer and distillery program at the March Board meeting in the consultants written and oral reports to the public. But no one thought that the mere suggestion to expand this program would evolve into a major $10 million project. Or, that it would be presented to the District Governing Board without data showing a serious need, future potential high paying job openings after training, a development outline plus an open discussion by the Board about the pros and cons of such a facility.
Chevalier argued at Tuesday’s meeting that the Community College should focus on providing hi-tech Career and Technical Education training rather than expending millions on programs about how to make beer. He said that he didn’t believe that using ten million to teach persons brewing skills could favorably compare with teaching them hi-tech jobs with certificates and degrees where starting salaries were reported at $75,000 or more.
He suggested that a small portion of the $10 million be used to develop a joint program with a local brewery with the remainder going into developing hi-tech jobs. He observed that in his discussions with the public in his district, he had not heard an outcry for teaching how to brew beer. Rather, his constituents wanted hi-tech career and technical education certificates and degrees.
Chevalier also said he agreed with the remainder of the budget submitted to the Board. However, he would not approve it with the millions aimed at building a brewing training facility in the Verde Valley. If it was removed, he would vote “yes.” Otherwise, his vote was “no.”
The remaining four Governing Board members appeared reluctant to ask any questions about the project or consider removing the expenditure from the 2022-2023 budget. Representative Ray Sigafoos seemed to lament he had not heard the pros and cons of the project while representative Mitch Padilla said that he was not opposed to the program starting. Chair Deb McCasland said she thought it was “shortsighted” to hold up approval of the budget because of opposition to the brewery expenditure.
Video clips of the comments by Governing Board members can be viewed by clicking here. You may view the entire District Governing B0ard meeting when it is posted with the minutes on the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board website.
