Project was intended to expand CTEC up to 20,000 square feet and introduce new programs
During the May 2023 Yavapai Community College District Governing Board meeting, where the budget for the upcoming 2023-24 year was approved, one of the most unexpected developments was the decision to allocate $10 million over the next three years for the expansion of the existing 108,000 square foot, eight-acre Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC). The expansion was intended to increase CTEC’s size by an additional 20,000 square feet. According to the College budget catalog furnished to residents at the meeting, “within the expanded space, the college will construct new programs and move a few existing programs to meet Freeport’s current and future workforce needs. Specifically, this space will be used to train technicians with the newest automation and AI technologies.”
The suddenness of this decision caught many attendees by surprise, leaving them with limited information about the specific details and rationale behind the expansion. There were no clarifications given at the meeting regarding why the specific amount of $10 million was chosen, nor was there any disclosure regarding what portion of funding that might come from state grants, federal grants, or private industry.
Requests for additional information made to the Community College’s Public Relations Department about the proposed project and where the money was coming from were ignored.
However, as suddenly as the project appeared in the 2023-24 budget, it is now disappearing. At the February 20 Board meeting, Vice President Clint Ewell announced that the project was cancelled. In a slide explaining the proposed 2024-25 budget, the line item identifying the project is now blank (covered over with yellow).
The explanation given at the Board meeting by the College was that anticipated grant funding was not forthcoming.
Please see the proposed capital budget in draft form below as shown by Vice President Ewell to the Board on February 20, 2024.
