Chapman Auto gives Pima a jumpstart

Story by ANGEL CANEZ and JOE GIDDENS

Additional interviews 

by JOUSHA SHAVER

Pima Community College is investing over $500,000 in upgrades to its athletics facilities in as a cost-saving measure and to attract recruits.

The athletics department also has signed a $210,000 sponsorship deal with the Chapman Automotive Group for three years. 

However, despite both of these events, there’s consideration by Pima administration to terminate additional sports programs. Golf, tennis and track are the most commonly discussed. 

This comes near the end of the first year of the Jim Monaco era of Pima Athletics. 

Monaco took over the job from former Athletic Director Edgar Soto, who held the position for 11 years and now serves as Desert Vista Campus vice president. Soto also will remain as dean of the fitness and wellness programs. 

“I was left at a good spot,” Monaco said. “Edger Soto did a great job. It’s been great; we’ve gotten a lot of stuff done.”

Monaco set some pretty ambitious goals in his first year: One major goal is to move Pima Athletics back to Pima.

Aztec Soccer is in the process of moving the games to the West Campus, because the team plays its home games at Kino Sport Complex but practices at the West Campus. Renting the game and practice space at Kino North Stadium cost Pima College more than $50,000, this year with soccer practicing at the West Campus and playing at Kino the cost is $15,000.    

The soccer teams also are waiting for the school facility upgrades to be completed as the soccer field grass develops. A new scoreboard and lights also will be installed by next summer.  

“Why not dress our place and show people how amazing the campus is?” Monaco asked. “It needs to be here, but it saves us money by spending money on our own place, and it will increase enrollment. We’ll have kids on our campus seeing how great this place is.” 

Enrollment has been the college’s biggest concern for the last few years. Seeing the college roll out its “Keep Striving” campaign to address this matter. As of Oct. 4, the college’s headcount is down very slightly – 0.3 percent from last year – according to Pima spokeswoman Libby Howell in a recent email. Howell added that students are taking slightly more classes. 

Monaco said that Pima’s budget is dictated by student enrollment, which is why the athletics budget has taken a major hit. Pima’s enrollment mostly has declined the last four years, with a 0.82 percent bump in Spring 2017-2018, according to Pima’s Enrollment and Student Characteristics Report. 

This is a major reason Monaco is interested in dressing up the school: He hopes that a beautiful campus will lead to an uptick in enrollment. 

Pima Chancellor Lee Lambert has said that he plans to cut more sports, depending on the budget. However, the affected sports have yet to be revealed. The projection is Pima Athletics will lose another $200,000, according to Monaco. 

“It’s very hard and there is no way I want to cut a sport,” Monaco said. “However, these decisions will most likely be made in the spring of next year after Pima budget reports come in.” 

Monaco has attempted to save money for Pima by reducing practices at the stadium and streamlining needs versus wants by increasing Pima’s fundraising.

However, there’s only so much one can do. The athletic department has undergone a $700,000 budget cut (from $2.6 million to $1.9 million), with the possibility of cutting another $200,000 next year. This leads to an uncertain future of the tennis, track and golf programs. 

“I would love to be able to tell you right now that past, 2020 golf and tennis stay,” he said. “I don’t know if we can keep enrollment, if we can keep going where we’re going, if we can continue to raise funds, we’re keeping everything.”

Improvements

Other improvements that are scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2020 are the improvement of the baseball and softball field. Plans are in place are to repaint both of the scoreboards and install a new backstop. 

“It will be more fan friendly when sitting behind home plate, so all that will be done this year,” Monaco said. 

The tennis courts are to be resurfaced and Pima plans to fence off the entire athletic facilities in order to close them at night and on weekends. The fields are used by the public, and the frequent use is taking a toll on the field. 

“It’s terrible, but we’re just going to have to close it on hours we’re not here,” Monaco said. “So we have a brand-new fence going in, so that during the weekdays it can be opened just like a public park area, but at night and on weekends it will be closed.”  

The college has an agreement with the City of Tucson that residents are welcome at some of the locations on the West Campus, such as the gym and the tennis courts. However, the track has never been part of that agreement according to Bill Ward, vice chancellor for facilities. 

“We’ve got people on that track and on that field sometimes 3 and 4 in the morning,” Ward said. “What we’re going to do is put in a really nice secure fence and then if people want to use it, they’ll have to schedule it, or if a group wants to use it they may have to pay a fee.”

Ward says it’s not about denying people access to the track but about better managing its use, citing security and liability concerns from after-hours use.

“We have a national championship soccer team,” Monaco said. “And those student athletes deserve not to have to clean up a mess or see their field torn up.” 

Pima’s budget underwent significant cuts last year, so the upkeep and improvements are being paid for by capital, Monaco noted.

“What we did was put a plan together, because I want to get everything back here,” he said. “We had a great plan put together with me and the people that help me and they said ‘OK’ and gave us $500,000 to do all that work up there.”

Pima Community College is spending over $500,000 at the West Campus in the following ways:

• $180,000 for installing new lights on the soccer field.

• $170,000 in construction for a new fence around the perimeter.

• $125,000 in baseball and softball field upgrades for new backstops and netting.

• $56,000 to resurface the 10 tennis courts.

Chapman Auto

The University of Arizona’s loss is now Pima’s gain.

 

The largest sponsorship in Pima’s 50-year history happened when the Pima Board of Governors voted Sept. 11 to unanimously to accept a sponsorship gift of $210,000 from Chapman Automotive Tucson to support college athletics that includes licensing of naming rights through June 30, 2022. 

“Chapman has taken their money from the University of Arizona and given it to Pima,” Monaco said. 

Chapman also has asked for the option of first refusal for a fourth year.  

“We’re working to have athletics be supported from places besides our general funds ..,” said Morgan Phillips, West Campus president. “And this is a great first step for us for that.”

The sponsorship owes a great deal to Aztec Men’s Soccer coach David Cosgrove. Chapman Automotive has been a team sponsor of Pima Soccer for the last couple of years. Cosgrove reached out to Chapman Auto general manager Neb Yonas to see if they were interested in joining as the program’s first corporate sponsor.

“They felt right away it was great opportunity and a no-brainer,” Cosgrove said by email. “ … What also needs to be noted is that Chapman Automotive is awarded academic scholarships as well to Pima, to the tune of $30,000. Again, it is Chapman’s willingness to invest in the future of Pima College, Pima College Athletics and the Tucson community as a whole that is the real story.”

“Nothing like this has ever happened before. We’re thrilled that a local giant of a company finds the value in Pima college to come help us in any way they can,” Monaco said. 

“We at Chapman believe that these kinds of relationships between business and organizations like Pima are crucial and essential to the well being of our community and growing our local a local economy,” said Neb Yonas, Chapman Automotive general manager.   

Monaco also has discussed plans for a Walk of Fame for Aztec soccer going toward the Fitness and Sports Science Building. 

In celebration of Pima Community College’s 50 Anniversary, Pima Athletics is having a Family Night during the last regular season soccer games of the year on Oct. 23. 

A $5 admission gets you into both the women and men’s games and a hot dog or hamburger with chips and a drink. 

Kino Sports Complex, North Stadium, 2817 E. Ajo Way

Women’s Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. 

Men’s Kickoff: 7 p.m.