A short essay by Robert Oliphant

Introduction:

Editor: Robert Oliphant

In a democratic society, officials, such as those members elected or appointed to the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board, play a vital role in representing the interests and concerns of the public. One crucial aspect of this responsibility is to ask meaningful and relevant questions when presented with important items presented by the Community College President and her staff. Failing to do so can have profound effects on the citizens of Yavapai County, impacting transparency, accountability, decision-making, and public trust. In this  short essay I explore the consequences of such failures by the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board, which failures appear obvious to a close observer, and emphasize the importance of these politicians actively engaging with their constituents and the executives who run Yavapai Community College.

Transparency and Accountability:

When Yavapai Community College District Governing Board members  neglect to ask significant questions about an item presented to them during a business meeting by the Yavapai President or her staff, as they do so often, it hampers the transparency and accountability that are vital to a functioning democracy. The Board members are accountable to the people they serve, and by not questioning the details and implications of an item presented to them by the Community College executives, they fail to fulfill their oversight role. A concern with this behavior by Board members in this regard is that the lack of scrutiny can lead to potential abuses of power, corruption, and, just as important,  the erosion of public trust in the system set up to govern the Community college.

Impaired Decision-Making:

Significant decisions often require a thorough understanding of the complexities involved. By not asking pertinent questions, Yavapai Community College District Governing Board members miss the opportunity to gather essential information, perspectives, and expert opinions. As a result, decision-making processes can become compromised, potentially leading to flawed policies, inadequate resource allocation, and missed opportunities for improvement. Ultimately, this failure to ask important questions diminishes the quality and effectiveness of governance, negatively impacting the  well-being of the residents of Yavapai County.

Public Trust and Confidence:

Public trust in the members of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board  is essential for the functioning of a democratic society. When the members fail to ask significant questions, it creates an impression of complacency, negligence, or a lack of genuine concern for the public’s interests. This can erode public trust and confidence in the oversight system as a whole. The public expects their elected or temporary appointed District Governing Board representatives to be diligent, knowledgeable, and engaged. When they fall short of these expectations, it can lead to disillusionment, apathy, and a diminished sense of civic participation.

Missed Opportunities for Public Input:

Asking important questions allows the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board to engage in meaningful dialogue and seek public input on critical issues. When they fail to do so, they miss the opportunity to involve the public in decision-making processes. The public’s diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise can provide valuable insights and ensure that policies reflect the needs and aspirations of the broader population. Without these perspectives, decisions risk being disconnected from the realities of the public, further undermining democratic principles.

Conclusion:

The failure of members of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board  to ask significant questions about items presented by unelected officials in the guise of the College President and her staff  has far-reaching consequences for the public. It diminishes transparency, weakens accountability, impairs decision-making, and erodes public trust. Members of the Governing Board should recognize their responsibility to be diligent, inquisitive, and engaged representatives of the people. By actively asking important questions, they can foster transparency, ensure accountability, make informed decisions, and strengthen public trust in the democratic process. Only through such proactive engagement can the Board members themselves effectively address the complex challenges facing the residents of Yavapai County  and create policies that genuinely serve their interest.

Reasons vary but they include: (1) Concerns with transparency and financial accountability to  Third District residents because budget is presented in unfamiliar form unlike that used by cities and towns on the east side of Mingus Mountain; (2) Half century of inequitable focus and expenditure of millions of Third District taxpayer dollars on developing Prescott Campus to the detriment of Third District residents; (3) Refusal to seriously consider creating Administrative College for Third District thus maintaining iron-fisted control with Prescott based executives; (4) Refusal to develop music and performing arts programs for east side residents; (5) Inequitable development of sports and cultural programs in the Third District that to the extreme benefit essentially only residents of Prescott and Prescott Valley; (6) Refusal to reform the Governing Board to provide its members (and public) with regular detailed information about District-wide operations and development.

OPINION. Since June 2013, when Third District Representative Robert Oliphant voted “no” on increasing the Yavapai County primary property tax rate, the three representatives who followed him have all also voted “no” when it came to increasing the property tax rate to support the Community College.  What are some of the reasons that explain this consistent opposition to increasing Sedona/Verde Valley  tax rates?  The following is a list of a few of those reasons:

1. Repeatedly, Third District representatives have asked for greater financial transparency including a demand that the Community College provide an annual accounting to the Third District about the exact amount of revenue it provides the Community College through the District’s contribution via state and federal revenue, County primary taxes, secondary property taxes,  and new construction taxes.  It has only vaguely and very reluctantly provided some partial information.  In addition, the District Representatives have asked the College to provide an estimate of the tuition and government grants it receives because of the enrolled students in Sedona and the Verde Valley.  It has received no information about that. And then, an understandable detailed financial explanation of what revenue received was reinvested in the Third District.
2. The College has been asked in the name of transparency to adopt a budget format that is similar to that used by almost all cities and towns in the County, which is highly transparent. It refuses to do so, and its budget remains less than transparent to the average citizen in the Third District.
3. For a half century, the Community College has been developing a robust music education program on the Prescott Campus. It has done little to nothing to develop music programs on the Verde Campus or the Sedona Center.  Similarly, it has spent the significant resources to create and develop a performing arts program on the Prescott Campus but nowhere else.  Somewhere around 500 or more students attend the Performing Arts classes on the Prescott Campus annually; there are none on the Verde Campus or at the Sedona Center.  This has occurred despite the continual efforts of the Third District Representatives asking the College to address these issues.
4. Third District Representatives have evinced concerns about the centralization of all major decision-making in Prescott based executives. The College has made it clear it will never allow the Verde Valley/Sedona District to have a major voice in operating the east side facilities; the total veto power over major decisions for Sedona and the Verde Campus are tightly retained in the hands of the executives headquarters on the Prescott campus. And supported by a majority of Governing Board members all of whom are from the west side of the County.
5. Third District representatives efforts to improve community college development on the east side of the County have been thwarted by the west-county voting bloc on the Governing Board despite the fact that for more than a half century the Community College has used Third District revenue to develop programs and projects that are almost exclusively aimed at residents of Prescott and Prescott Valley.  Facilities exclusive to the west side of the County include: (1) Building a professional tennis court complex for Prescott residents—the College has no tennis team. (2) Building and maintaining an indoor swimming pool and wading/rehab facility for Prescott residents, especially the elderly – the College has no swim team.  (3) Since 1988, using Third District primary and secondary property taxes to build, support, and renovate at a cost of millions of dollars the Performing Arts Center, which is realistically a facility attracting and accessible only to persons on the West side of the County. (4) Spending millions of Third District taxpayer money over the years in developing a sports program with eight teams and  athletic fields, gymnasium, and all accoutrements with teams realistically only playing games and matches on the west side of the County.
6. Third District Representatives have learned that the District now produces at least $2 million a year in tax revenue that is not spent in the District by the College, which they deem unfair. In the past, the Third District as provided many more millions of dollars anually that went into developing the Prescott Campus and other facilities on the west side of the County.
7. After more than a half century, Third District Representatives were finally able to persuade Prescott-based executives to construct a Career and Technical Education Center on the Verde Campus. However, a small 10,000 square foot facility was constructed that hardly compares with the 110,000 square foot facility on the west side of the County.  Worse, development on the Verde Campus CTE facility is hampered because of the absence of a full-time Dean at the Verde Campus who would spend all of his or her time working with local businesses in the District on a daily basis recruiting students and leaning about local CTE needs.  Again, the development of CTE is hampered by the absolute control exerted by Prescott-based executives whose focus is on the west side of the County.
8. Third District representatives have been concerned with the loss of full-time faculty on the Verde Campus and at the Sedona Center. Many were cut in 2010 and 2011 and were never replaced. However, the sports programs such as basketball that were cut back in 2010 and 2011 have been recently reinstated and expanded, i.e., men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer.
9. Third District Representatives have been concerned with the refusal of the Prescott-based executives to consider building student residence halls on the Verde Campus or elsewhere to initiate serious development on the east side of the County and as a practical matter make the east county facilities destination centers to assist in growing student enrollment. Student residence halls, which pay for themselves, can also help alleviate the need for students in the Verde Valley and Sedona to seek expensive private housing if they intend to attend the Community College on the east side of the mountain.
10.  Third District Reps have expressed concern with the mechanics of how the public hearings involving tax rate increases, which are required by law, are held. For example: (1) The public hearings are only held on the Prescott Campus.  There could at least be zoom facilities created at various sites around the County so all County residents would have reasonable easy access to the hearing. (2) Prior to the May hearing in Prescott regarding increasing the tax rate, there are no presentations by College officials to the residents on the east side of the County about the need for the tax rate increase and no open forums in the Third District where the residents’ views can be expressed. (3) Rejection of the committee system entirely by the Governing Board.

Special interests apparently driving these additions rather than detailed analysis showing need; Are special interests money for limited support being used as a salve to discourage questions about data and need?  

Editor: Robert E. Oliphant

OPINION. It’s hard not to ask whether Yavapai Community College administrators have a double standard when it comes to producing hard data showing a need for a program or project:  One standard seems to exist for Prescott  and a second standard for the east side of Mingus Mountain. 

If there isn’t a double standard, how do you explain, for example,  the current drive on the Prescott Campus to recruit athletes, hire coaches, find offices and add  two new expensive  athletic programs to the already bloated athletic department without publicly producing independent data showing either an academic or community need for them?

These additions come at a time when the Administration has been constantly preaching to the public  at various meetings, especially those in the Sedona/Verde Valley area,  that it will only invest in projects and programs where it is demonstrated by production of reliable data showing an educational and/or community need.  The absence of data showing need, the administrators claim,  is why, for example, it is not planning to expand and enhance the nursing program in the Verde Valley.  The absence of need is why it did not build a 30,000 square foot Career and Technical Education Center on the Verde Campus; only a 10,000 square foot structure (versus 104,000 square foot CTE facility on the Prescott side).  And on and on and on.

This handy off-the-shelf rhetoric to show need is particularly useful  when issues about serious future development of housing to support the fledgling destination programs at the Sedona Center and Verde Campus come up.  The rhetoric was  particularly evident when the current crop of consultants hired by Prescott administrators explained the meager development plans for Sedona/Verde Valley over the next eight to ten-years, ignoring most, if not all of the input from the public at public meetings.

Along with the dual standard comes a salve typically used by Prescott to temporarily divert attention away from the need for data to support any project it wants such as a professional tennis complex (no tennis team), an indoor Olympic pool (no swim team), or a state-of-the-art auditorium that services only the Prescott area.  In each of these projects, Prescott special interests kicked in a little “taste” money to stimulate College and Governing Board approval. After that, the millions of dollars to complete and maintain these projects fell like a heavy financial yoke on the already burdened shoulders of County taxpayers. 

The salve  being used for the basketball programs is a rumor that special interests are going to give a financial “taste” to support the teams for three years.  A good whiff from the balm of the salve is usually all it takes to block rational thinking about the  50 years after that special interest money runs out when  the bill for the teams will be footed by County taxpayers.

For most, adding these teams to the already overstuffed athletic department baggage seems incredible given the relative tiny student enrollment at Yavapai Community College with at least five NJCAA teams already being heavily supported by taxpayers. 

But what the heck.  Isn’t it more important to add the cost of supporting basketball teams than it is to enhance the nursing program in the Verde Valley or expand the Career and Technical Education facilities?  How do you explain this kind of prioritization?

A double standard, I suggest, is all the explanation you need.`

Managing Editor Christopher Fox Graham argues “Verde Valley tax dollars provide more than a third of his college’s budget, ergo, we should have a third of the programs we pay for”

Managing Editor Sedona Redrock News, Christoper Fox Graham

Sedona RedRock News Managing Editor Christoper Fox Graham took strong issue with the views of Yavapai Community College’s Fourth District representative, Chris Kuknyo, who made them known at the November 16 Governing Board meeting held at the Career and Technical Education Center located at the Prescott airport.  This was Editor Graham’s  second editorial based on comments made by  Governing Board members at that meeting.  In this  editorial, published December 12, Editor Graham argued that “Kuknyo fails to grasp taxes are public’s money” when discussing the Verde Valley.

At one point during the November 16 meeting Graham noted that  Kuknyo had expressed dismay with Third District Paul Chevalier’s routine effort to ask questions related to the impact a Community
College program may have on the Verde Valley (or the fact one did not exist there).  “It makes me not want to help and just push away and concentrate on the other stuff,” Kuknyo said.

Editor Graham responded to Kuknyo writing that he:

“fails to comprehend that Verde Valley tax dollars provide more than a third of his college’s budget, ergo, we should have a third of the programs we pay for.

Yet, how would Kuknyo’s `sudden decision’ to ignore the Verde Valley’s concerns be any different than the last 40 years of the community college ignoring, cheating, short-changing and stealing tax dollars and programs from the Verde Valley to benefit the Prescott side?

Editor Graham also wrote that:

“The previous community college president and her then-board picked a fight with the Verde Valley a decade ago, and in so doing lost a huge land endowment that went to the Pima County-based University of Arizona instead and faced a Verde Valley secession drive that only diminished with the president’s retirement and Chevalier’s election. The risk of secession still looms if ignorant board members want to revive abuse.

“Kuknyo is impressed by the Verde Valley wine center at Yavapai College as well as “… the food-makin’ place …,” which we can only assume is what the officials like Kuknyo who run the board of a higher education institution call the “Sedona “Culinary Arts Program.”

“The wine center is in the Verde Valley because Prescott college officials can’t physically steal and move the land the Verde Valley vineyards sit on.”

There is much more to Editor Graham’s editorial.  You can read it in its entirety by clicking here:   http://www.redrocknews.com/2021/12/12/yavapai-college-board-member-kuknyo-fails-to-grasp-taxes-are-publics-money/

Should the 50-year-old model in a county larger than Connecticut or the state of Israel  be scrapped to give east county residents an opportunity to develop their own Community College  model that they can claim as  their own? And provide them with accountability?

Editor: Robert Oliphant

EDITORIAL:  At the time the decision to create a Community College District was made a little over 50 years ago, recognition of a District meant certain requirements had to be met.  As a result of Arizona law, those wanting a community college in Yavapai County were forced  to include its  entire high school population and its entire land value. Today, whatever legal requirements are needed to create a Community College District, the residents of the East side of the county with a population over 75,000 can meet them.

If it weren’t for the legal requirements of 50 years,  creation of a single community college district encompassing  such a huge  land mass makes no sense at all.  The Yavapai Community College  District covers all of Yavapai County consisting of 8,125 square miles. The size of the County  is comparable  to states such as Connecticut (5,543 sq. miles — 12 community colleges and universities), Delaware (1,982 sq. miles — three community colleges and universities), Rhode Island (1,214 sq. miles— one public and two private community colleges)  and New Jersey (8,723 sq. miles — 19 community colleges and universities). The state of Israel encompasses  8,550 square miles (ten universities and 53 colleges).

Once Prescott was chosen as the  location for the first community college, the architects designed an institution resembling a state university.  This was most likely  an effort  to provide education to those in the far reaches of the County.  Since that time, and despite the many changes in population in the County, the Community College has expanded on the original model and remained tightly focused  on developing the Prescott side of the County.

Today, most agree that Yavapai Community College  operates and resembles  a state college or university.  On the Prescott side of the County, it boasts  six athletic teams, athletic fields, a cadre of coaches, two residence halls, a major gymnasium, heated indoor swimming pool including special therapy pool for seniors; professional tennis complex, weight complex, 104,000  square foot Career and Technical Education Center, and a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center  (PAC) with an 1,100 seat ultra-modern auditorium. The PAC provides over 50 major theatre cultural performances annually and at least 20 free special events – probably many more. The College  offers a wide variety of music and performing arts courses not offered elsewhere.  It  will be offering four-year degrees shortly.

 It has even dropped the name “Community College” in favor of being called “Yavapai College.” 

The Community College Governing Board is dominated by west county Governing Board politicos who in 2012-13 boldly approved a $103.5 million plan to further develop the institution with less than 5% of development flowing to the east side of the County.  The administration is staffed by all Prescott based executives and the vast majority of faculty and staff live and work on the Prescott side of the County.  All political control rests with Prescott based people. All decisions regarding courses, construction of facilities, and other projects come directly from Prescott and must be approved by them.  The current Dean of the Sedona Center/Verde Campus is not considered an important voice in decision making.  In fact, the current Dean has major duties that take her away from the Verde Valley on a regular basis.  Even the College Foundation is controlled almost entirely by the west side of the County despite the fact that  the current president is from the Verde Valley. 

Few of the dozens of  accoutrements associated with operating the Community College on the west side of the County exist on the East side. 

Examples of just how weak is the control of east side residents over how the community college is developed in their area of the County  are easy to find.  For example, after ten years of constant effort by east county advocates, its Governing Board Third District  representative, and a few politicians, the College agreed to construct a  10,000 square foot Career and Technical Education Center (CTE).  East County residents were demanding a minimum of 30,000 feet so the facility  could be easily, inexpensively,  and quickly expanded to meet unique training needs that might come to it in the future.  They based this view on the fact that the west side CTE campus is at least 104,000 square feet and has historically been used to quickly meet unanticipated   local CTE needs.  They also wanted it at another location. 

Despite the demands from east-siders, Prescott administrators decided to build a tiny 10,000 square foot facility on the Verde Campus on  a rocky plateau of sorts and promise that if there were a future need, they would  build another facility (“phase two,” they said) to meet the need.  In essence, they easily handcuffed future CTE development with the facility and its location on a rocky plateau ― there are 60-70 acres of land a few feet away where a CTE facility on a flat surface with acres of parking space could easily have been built.

Another example is reflected in the history of Building “L,” which was renovated a couple years ago to provide improved nursing training and a small manufacturing training area.  Recall that the Prescott administration initially was going to move all nursing training to a new facility it was constructing at its  Prescott Valley Center.  However, the uproar from the Valley eventually caused them to back off; but it took an uproar to stop it.   The most recent renovation of Buiding “L” appears to be its third.  It was originally built with the aid of Federal Government funding to be used as a  major Career and Technical Education facility.  That focus and development of CTE programs on the east side of the County pretty much ended when Prescott purchased the 104,000 square foot building at the Prescott airport for CTE training.

As now operated, the Yavapai Community College fails to provide locally to east side county residents what these institutions are supposed to provide.  Most obvious is the failure to  effectively serve east-side live-at-home students and part-time students with face-to-face courses.   The current set-up  is far less than ideal for east-side students who want to save room,  board and travel money by living at home, and for students who want to further their educations while balancing work and family.

It is failing to offer cultural programs with nothing comparable to what is offered on the west side of the County.  It is failing to offer  courses in areas of common interest such  as music and theatre to east-siders.  Those courses are taught only on the  west side.

Sometimes Yavapai Community College appears to  ignore whole areas of the Verde Valley.  For example, the unincorporated area of the Verde Villages that abut the city of Cottonwood have a population of about 12,000 residents. The Verde Villages are not  mentioned even in passing in various reports about the demographics of the County when they are made by the Community College.

Furthermore, with all of the demands needing attention to operate the massive west side complex, there is little time left for the Prescott-based executives to seriously consider east side educational and cultural needs. At best, east siders are given an occasional visit  by Prescott executives or an appearance at an occasional meeting.  The east side gets whatever is left over after the west side operational cup is filled.

Moreover, there is a long-standing sore spot among east-side residents regarding Community College accountability to them. The Community College executives refuse to provide detailed information about how much money is collected from the east side of the County in primary taxes, tuition, construction taxes, government grants, and state taxes. It similarly refuses to explain in detail how much of all those funds collected are returned to the Verde Valley, a figure some estimate should be  around  $35 million annually. 

Maybe it’s  time to reconsider the current model? Maybe it’s time to give the east side residents an actual voice and actual control over their post-secondary community college training. Maybe it’s time be accountable and explain how the east side residents  financial contributions to the Community College are being used. Maybe?

With others in Advocates Group,  helped save Community College in the Verde Valley  from perceived shuttering of Sedona Center; losing nursing programs, and dropping many other educational offerings

Dick Dahl 1937 – 2021

Dick Dahl, a gentle, tireless, humble but effective advocate as a member of the Verde Valley Community College Citizens Advocates group passed away January 11 at age 83 from Covid-19.  Dick began with the advocates back in 2013   when the group was first  organized. The Advocates, from areas throughout  the entire Verde Valley, had  joined hands  in response to perceived efforts by the Yavapai Community College administration to shutter the Sedona Center and reduce or drop many programs being offered at the Verde Campus in Clarkdale, including nursing.

He often spoke to members of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board in opposition to the  unfairness of decisions that he and the Advocates believed were  adversely affecting the future of  education in the Verde Valley.  He was an opponent, for example,  of  the District Governing Board’s December 2013 decision to  spend $103.5 million on a ten-year-development program, with around 95% of the development  slated for the Prescott Campus and the Prescott side of the County.  Five percent  or less of the plan was scheduled for development in the Verde Valley. 

His wisdom, gentle  advocacy and patience are in part, along with his many advocate colleagues, the reason the Sedona Center was not sold; the nursing program is in full swing on the Verde Campus, and a CTEC facility is being constructed right now.   

He will be missed by everyone in the Verde Valley, but especially the members of the Advocates group.

Bob Oliphant

Below is an article written by Ron Eland about Dick that appeared in the January 27, 2021 edition of the Sedona Red Rock newspaper (See http://www.redrocknews.com/2021/01/27/remembering-the-late-dick-dahl/).

Remembering the late Dick Dahl,  By  Ron Eland,  January 27, 2021.

For more than 40 years, Dick Dahl served the residents of Sedona by way of both as a Realtor and a member of a variety of organi­zations throughout the Verde Valley.

Dahl died Jan. 11. He was 83.

“Myself and many, many others are grieving the loss of my brother,” Joyce Partain said. “We were just at a point where we were able to spend some more time with each other. The far reaching influence of Dick Dahl has been enormous. I’ve heard it said most people are lucky to be able to count on one hand the number of lifelong best friends. My brother’s are too numerous to count.”

Dahl was born in Denver and was the oldest of four children. The family moved to Arizona in 1955 where he earned a degree in elementary education and served as teacher or school headmaster for nearly two decades.

In 1978 he began his career in real estate before moving to Sedona two years later. By 1983 he purchased a Century 21 franchise and would later have four additional branches.

For 38 years Dahl used his real estate background and knowledge to serve as an instructor for the Best School of Real Estate. He also served as an expert witness for civil lawsuits involving real estate transactions.

According to Partain and the Veteran Equine Therapeutic Alliance, of which he was a member, Dahl was very civic minded and served in a variety of capacities in local organizations. Some of these include serving on the Sedona Chamber of Commerce board for eight years; four years on the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission, of which he was chairman for two years; an appointed representative on the Board of the Verde Valley Regional Economic Development Council and its president; and the Arizona Governor’s Small Business Executive Council in 1990, where he served for eight years.

“Dick was a long-time friend and dedicated volunteer with many local nonprofits in the Verde Valley,” Sedona Mayor Sandy Moriarty said. “I had not seen him for over a year, and wasn’t sure that he was still in the community. I was very sorry to hear of his passing due to COVID-19, he will be missed.”

In addition, Dahl served as the founding president of the Verde Valley Land Preservation Institute and remained a member of the board. Steve Estes, the current president of that organization, said Dahl’s death is being felt by all those he worked with over the years.

“Dick was a key figure in Arizona Town Hall events,” he said. “The 2004 Verde Valley Forum, addressing economic sustainability and diversity was one of those. The Verde Valley Land Preservation Institute was conceived and formed in response to the forum’s focus on open space in the Verde Valley as a critical asset both aesthetically and economically.

“Dick Dahl led the effort to form the nonprofit and act as the first president and perennial board director of VVLPI, one of the region’s most productive nonprofits.”

Hope is new President will have the creative skills and courage to stand against the powerful Prescott based politicians and begin to seriously develop post-secondary education for the 70,000 residents of the east side of the County

Commentary

Wow!  Have the west side Yavapai  Community College politicians and presidents ever delivered to Prescott and Prescott Valley residents in the last two decades! On that side of Mingus Mountain, you’ll find a new tennis complex, swimming pool, therapy pool, 1,100 state-of-the-art dinner theater, renovated residence halls, renovation of all parking lots and every campus building, $20 million new CTE Campus, a huge athletic program, baseball field, softball field, leased soccer fields, major sized gymnasium, new 4-year program with ASU, a new Allied Health facility, new police training building,  and much more.  Meanwhile, east side residents have either slept through all this selfish development for one part of the County or have been marginalized during this period.

One can only wonder at the self-interest of the West County voting Bloc and the college presidents in terms of equitably sharing post-secondary community college resources throughout Yavapai County.  According to College documents, since 2000, the College administrations, with Governing Board agreement (often voting 3-2 during this period)  have pumped somewhere around $150 million dollars into west side community college development. 

To illustrate, almost $60 million (maybe more) of the $69.5 million 2000 bond went to west County development.  In addition to the bond money, the College spent other funds to build an $11 million heating plant, a $20 million dollar Career and Technical Education Campus at the Prescott Airport, and around $7 million to renovate two dormitories.  If that doesn’t take your breath away, recall that in 2013 the Governing Board approved in concept spending around $100 million on the west side of the campus for additional construction and renovation. (That has been reduced to something around $65 million.)

Meanwhile, the College spent $18 million to replace the infrastructure, renovate and replace the 40 year-old falling down wooden buildings on the Verde Campus and about a half million for the poorly designed outdoor pavilion. After citizens put a halt to the idea of selling the Sedona Center, and after it was essentially closed for over two years, the College has invested around $5.5 million in renovation and a parking lot and street.   

East side taxpayers, of course, paid for all of the renovation and construction on their side of Mingus Mountain. They also paid for a substantial portion of the multi-million dollar construction and renovation program on the west side of the County but receive little or no benefit from it.

Isn’t it time to seriously lay out a clear, comprehensive and understandable post-secondary five-year development program for the east side of the County?  Isn’t it time to begin developing new programs and projects on the east side of the County using east side property taxes that now flow to Prescott?

If this is to happen, however, it will require the College’s new president to first recognize the plight of east side residents and then creatively initiate a major development program over here. If the new president continues in the mold of the former president and the West County voting Bloc continues its domination over the 70,000 residents on this side of Mingus Mountain, the east side of the County will eventually become a post-secondary wasteland.