The discontinuation of certain regular activities of the Technology Learning Center is unfortunate. Based on what we’re hearing from both organizers and the Town, however, quite a few factors led to the TLC’s current state.

For starters, it doesn’t appear the TLC felt they were able to continue under their current structure, which came as the result of reorganization back in 2015. For the more regular programs to be ready to roll more easily, it required the TLC to basically lock down a room within the community center in order to keep all of those computers and extra equipment hooked up and secure. That was maybe not the most financially reasonable situation for the Community Center, which led to the TLC shifting to more of a pop-up approach; bringing needed equipment and the like to sessions when scheduled. Obviously, that required hauling equipment and more time necessary to set up and break down around events.

On top of that, organizers stated that keeping volunteers staffed to host the events was a challenge. Furthermore, attendance at some events was low enough to cause cancelation. If you’re having trouble staffing these kinds of events or drawing a big enough audience to make it worth everyone’s effort, it’s understandable that TLC organizers would want to consider reorganization.

To be clear, the TLC has not been completely disbanded. They’re still hosting their regular tech support events, probably the most in-demand program they offer. They also plan on hosting specialized sessions from time to time, which should allow organizers to spend more time building the programs, staffing them, and gathering interest from the community.

If local residents want to see the TLC continue to thrive and potentially build into something new further down the road, the only way to make that happen is to support their efforts.

We commend everyone who has been involved with the program to date, as we know many, many Fountain Hills residents have received much-needed assistance and many educational opportunities as a result.