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Yakima College's Grape, Wine Education Center Taking Shape

Posted on: Monday, 27 February 2006, 15:00 CST

By Sara Schilling, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.

Feb. 27--GRANDVIEW -- Yakima Valley Community College's new grape and wine education center in Grandview should be open to students in the fall of 2007.

Construction of the facility -- it'll be housed in a portion of the former Safeway building that the college bought for $750,000 in 2003 -- is expected to begin in August.

"It's going to be a very important addition to our Lower Valley campus. It's going to greatly expand our mission down there," said Linda Kaminski, president of the Yakima-based college.

It's also a good fit for the area, said Bryce Humpherys, dean of the Grandview campus.

"The Lower Yakima Valley is really becoming the mecca for grape and wine production in the state of Washington. It's only logical that we have a center where we can draw upon those resources and expand opportunities for residents," he said.

The nearly 9,000-square-foot center will include lab and classroom space, a small teaching winery and a pair of incubator units for fledgling winemakers in the Yakima Valley.

The set-up will give the college's viticulture and enology students hands-on experience and start-up wineries a place to get their feet off the ground, said Trent Ball, Agriculture Department chairman.

Continuing education courses for grape growers and winemakers and sessions for community members interested in learning about wine also may be offered at the site in the future.

Ball said the timing of the center is good.

"It's a very exciting time in the wine industry -- a lot of growth, a lot of success. Wine (from this area) is getting a lot of recognition in the world," he said.

Patricia O'Brien of Prosser's VineHeart Winery agreed.

"A lot of new varieties are coming into production, varieties that have not been available in the past," she said, adding the planned Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center in Prosser also will be a boon for the industry.

All that means a skilled work force -- which the grape and wine education center will provide -- is even more important, she said.

YVCC officials also plan to use another section of the 25,524-square-foot former Safeway building to expand the campus' health programs, including offering more nursing courses and training in subjects like medical assisting, Kaminski said.

The centers' $2 million price tag is being covered by a mix of money from the state and private donors, she said.

"We've heard from many students in the Lower Valley that they want more work force education. These are the programs that are in greatest need, and which are also very expensive to offer," she said. "We're very pleased we're going to be able to build a training facility to extend these programs to the Lower Valley."

Humpherys said both centers should be completed at the same time.

A steering committee to help with the design and curriculum for the grape and wine center has been organized and will have its first meeting tonight, Ball said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.

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Source: Tri-City Herald

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