Archive for Multi-use Field

COMMUNITY COLLEGE MOVES AHEAD ON BUILDING SOCCER FIELD ON PRESCOTT CAMPUS

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, March 9th, 2019

Says Community College will ask Foundation to raise $2.65 million for project; already spent about $250,000 in design, exploring concept and is ready to spend another $1 million on improving parking lot adjacent the field

Yavapai Community College was told by VP Clint Ewell that it will ask the Yavapai Community College Foundation to raise $2,657,000 so it can build a multi-use soccer field on the Prescott campus. Last year, the Governing Board majority approved spending up to the a quarter million dollars for design and estimates for this project. Much earlier, over $1 million originally found in the capital improvement fund was transferred to the preventative and unplanned capital budget where it will be used to build (rebuild) a parking lot adjacent the soccer field.

This project had a high priority with the former administration. Despite concerns over spending money on this project rather than on educational programs, scholarships or constructing badly needed facilities on the east side of the County, it was clear to all observers that it would be pushed through the Governing Board in some fashion at some point.

From the Blog’s perspective, the money being raised by the Foundation would be much better spent on scholarships.

A short video clip follows below where Dr. Clint Ewell explains how the money will be spent for this project.

Categories : Multi-use Field

COLLEGE SPENDS $225,000 FOR DESIGN/COST ESTIMATES OF MULTI-USE (SOCCER) FIELD

By R. Oliphant
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019

Tells Board at January meeting that funds for this project have been spent–where does such a project sit in terms of educational priorities?

 Vice President Dr. Clint Ewell reported at the morning workshop January 8 that Yavapai Community College had spent up to $225,000 to initially decide whether it wants to build a multi-purpose field on the Prescott Campus. This amount was approved 4-1 by the Governing Board in last year’s budget.

 Most observers are aware that the primary purpose of such a field is to replace the two leased fields now used by the boys soccer team and provide the soccer team with a field on the Prescott Campus. Critics argue that it is a needless expenditure of limited funds and unnecessary because the present leased soccer fields cost the College very little. Moreover, the current soccer fields have been used successfully for years and were selected for two national Junior College final championship events.

In addition to spending the funds for design, etc., last year the College moved over a million dollars from its capital construction fund for a parking lot adjacent the proposed soccer field to what it calls its “deferred maintenance fund.”  In essence, the move took the spotlight somewhat off the project and placed it in a less contentious area of the College budget.

Finally, the College Foundation has indicated it is willing to put almost a million dollars into the soccer field.

Neither the College nor the Governing Board has at any time indicated where such a project like this sits in the list of educational priorities for students in the District.  Wouldn’t it be nice to see a list of priorities?

Categories : Budget, Multi-use Field

WILLS’ STAFF SNOOKERS WEAK GOVERNING BOARD ON SOCCER FIELD UNDER GUISE OF “MULTI-PURPOSE” FACILITY

By R. Oliphant
Friday, March 23rd, 2018

So far $250,000 for design, $1.2 million for parking lot, $950,000 from Foundation, at least  $1.8 million later; Only McCasland challenges expenditures

At the March 2018 Governing Board meeting, Wills’ staff easily snookered the College Governing Board into taking the first big steps toward construction of the new soccer field. Only Deb McCasland raised relevant questions about it. Here are the steps the staff took in moving ahead with the project.

Step 1: The staff recommended to the Board that $1.2 million for a parking lot that will service the soccer field a.k.a. multi-purpose field, be removed from the capital budget and placed in the deferred maintenance fund. This is a calculated move that accomplishes two things: First, it tends to help disguise the total cost of the future soccer field while moving out of the capital fund into the deferred maintenance fund. Second, it essentially removes from Governing Board control any future adverse decision about constructing the parking lot. (Note West-County Representative Pat McCarver’s statement in the VIDEO below regarding Board authority on deferred maintenance items.)  A helpful move, to say the least.

Step 2: The staff recommended that $250,000 be set aside to essentially design the soccer field. The only opposition to this expenditure came from representative Deb McCasland who charged that approval of the design was in effect approval by the Board of the entire project. Astonishingly, the Governing Board has never indicated in a public discussion that it believes the College should build a soccer field on the Prescott Campus. However, while everyone at the March meeting knew what was really happening, only Deb McCasland had the character and courage to publicly question the expenditures.  

Step 3. As a part of the strategy, the Foundation will be asked to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the project (rather than raise hundreds of thousands for student scholarships). To this end, the printed College Capital Budget, which was distributed at the March meeting, indicated that the College Foundation was anticipating contributing $950,000 to support building the soccer field.

All in all, it was a great day for Wills and her staff as they slipped construction of the soccer field past the weak and ineffectual Board majority. If you want a tutorial on how easy it is to manipulate a  weak Governing Board, please take about three minutes and carefully analyze the Board discussion contained on the video below.

Categories : Construction, Multi-use Field

FOUNDATION SAYS IT WILL GIVE $1.5 MILLION FOR SOCCER FIELD (rather than scholarships)

By R. Oliphant
Friday, June 17th, 2016

WILLS  MUST KEEP VERDE VALLEY UNDER CONTROL TO SWING THIS DEAL

The budget for the next five years for Yavapai Community College shows that the Yavapai Community College Foundation will pour $1.5 million into the completely unneeded multi-use field. The College propagandists will say it is for graduation and other outside events.

However, in fact, (who cares about facts)  the project is to build a soccer field and is in response to the soccer lobby coming from within and outside the College.

In order to pull off this waste of money project, (why use this easy money for scholarships or improving faculty salaries) President Penelope Wills must keep the Verde Valley under control. Thus, the press from her and her press office regarding the Sedona parking lot and a promise of over $3 million to renovate the Sedona Center will be repeated again and again.  And the idea of “possibly” setting up a culinary school will be heard repeatedly.

This is a part of the brutal political game Wills’ continues to play with the Verde Valley. Oh, the remaining $2 to $3  million or more for the multi-use field will be paid by the taxpayers in the County from their property taxes.

MULTI USE FIELD IN BUDGET SHOWING 1.5 MILL COMMITTEED

Categories : Multi-use Field, Prescott Campus, Soccer team, Ten Year Plan Construction
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