West-MEC secures Vistancia location in north Peoria

By Philip Haldiman
Mail | X: @PhilipHaldiman

Two successful approvals over the past week have paved the way to secure a career and technical school in northern Peoria.

The city council approved an intergovernmental agreement and ground lease Nov. 4 for Western Maricopa Education Center, commonly known as West-MEC, to build a skilled education center in Five North at Vistancia, next to the new American Leadership Academy.

The lease rate will be $300,000 a year with a 2.5% annual increase after year-three. The lease term is 10 years with an option to purchase anytime during that term.

Voters also approved a bond election to fund the campus on five to seven acres in Five North, the commercial core area located between Vistancia Boulevard, El Mirage Road, Lone Mountain Parkway and Loop 303.

The two approvals will allow the school to be planned for an opening of the 2029-30 school year.

“Thank you to the voters that recognize that a skilled workforce is critical to our city’s long-term success in attracting new jobs and revenues to Peoria and the West Valley,” Mayor Jason Beck said in a news release. “West-MEC has a successful model to ensure we are able to meet the needs of current and future employers.”

A new HonorHealth medical facility is also planned for Five North, which will play into the new educational facility.

West-MEC will be required to establish one or more medical programs for the school, which could include nursing, medical assisting, pharmacy science, or medical laboratory science, according to the agreement.

Also under the agreement, the city will be required to replat the larger commercial core to include a 7-acre parcel for the school. The city has waived all fees and charges except for mandatory charges.

West-MEC at Vistancia is the second campus planned for Peoria. In February, council approved an intergovernmental agreement and ground lease agreement allowing the district to have a career and technical campus on city-owned land at 95th and Peoria avenues.

West-MEC provides hands-on training, college credit opportunities, and industry-recognized credentials, serving more than 45,000 students from 49 high schools across 3,800 square miles of the northern and western Phoenix area. About 20% of its enrollment is from Peoria.

Economic Development Director Maria Laughner said West-MEC will be able to provide an education to those students closer to home as well as jobs at Peoria businesses in the future.

She added that with growth in the northwest Valley, more families will be looking for career and technical education, and “having those students graduate from (the West-MEC) program ... as well as having internships with some of the employers that we are bringing to the area such as Amkor and HonorHealth — that is how we will measure success.”

Senior News Editor Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on X @philiphaldiman. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria

phaldiman@iniusa.org

Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.

Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater. 

Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.

Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.