HOW CAN OUR AIR CONDITIONER (or heating unit) help to improve safety in the sanctuary during the High Holy Days? The short-term answer is better filtration.…
NOTE: Air conditioning filtration is one of three parallel avenues that are being pursued to reduce the risk of airborne infection in the sanctuary, for the sake of public health during the pandemic. The other two avenues are: adding fans in the sanctuary, and placing air purifiers on the bimah.
PUTTING OUR HEADS TOGETHER, the asbestos inspector and I came up with a new hypothesis for why efflorescence has for years been showing up on the walls of the stairwell that goes down to the Social Hall.
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| Years ago, someone (Sonia Cummings?) covered these walls’ lesions with butcher paper. (As usual, click/tap on a photo to enlarge it.) |
My new understanding fits the data pretty well. Below the jump, I will explain — and offer a prognosis.…
LAST WEEK, I LEARNED BY HAPPENSTANCE that our front patio was being pressure-washed weekly. This has been a helpful effort by the Clean Team of the Venice Beach Business Improvement District (BID), of which Mishkon is a member.
The problem is that water is the enemy of sandstone. It makes the rock flake apart.
Unfortunately, our patio is not well sealed against water penetration, as this post–pressure wash photo shows.
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| 20 min. after a cursory washing, 9/8/22 |
So until the patio is more effectively sealed, we should be doing our best to keep water AWAY from our patio.
And that’s why today (after discussing the matter with our Administrator) I asked the BID Clean Team not to wash off our patio unless we call them and specifically request it. (As we sometimes have done, to clean up an unusual mess.) Let’s see how well that balances our need for cleanliness against our need for preservation.
WHEN OUR SANCTUARY IS RELATIVELY FULL, such as on the High Holy Days, the need for ventilation is higher — especially during an airborne pandemic. Arguably this is when it makes sense to re-install electric fans in the window openings.
In this post, I recommend a particular configuration for those fans, while offering two caveats for their operation.
NOTE: Adding fans in the sanctuary is one of three parallel avenues that are being explored to reduce the risk of airborne infection in the sanctuary, for the sake of public health during the pandemic. The other two avenues are: air conditioning filtration, and placing air purifiers on the bimah.
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| At the Dedication Ceremony (9/26/1948) (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
This post documents the architectural significance of our sanctuary’s original front doors — which seems to have gotten waylaid over time.
OUR BIMAH REGULARLY HOSTS the highest concentration of people, and the lowest circulation of air, of any space within our sanctuary. Arguably this is where an air purifier (or two or three) can really make a difference in preventing the spread of infection.
In this post, I recommend a particular brand and model of commercially available air purifier for our bimah. And I report on the research that led me to this recommendation.
NOTE: Air purification on the bimah is one of three parallel avenues that are being explored to reduce the risk of airborne infection in the sanctuary, for the sake of public health during the pandemic. The other two avenues are: air conditioning filtration, and fans in the windows.
THE TERM “CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT” is perhaps more controversial than it needs to be. There’s a widespread misconception that an “improvement” must be something new and different. Yet that’s not what the IRS says — which matters because Mishkon’s Policies cite the IRS’s regulations for business expenses as its model for determining what qualifies as a capital improvement.…
THIS PROJECT, which was completed this week, involves a historically significant component. Therefore this post follows the report template that was provided in the 2003 Historic Structures Report, being recommended for all historic-cultural monuments. The post includes before-and-after photos.
For background, see HERE.
NOT THE MOST SAVORY TOPIC, I admit. Yet it’s important to be clear about our rights, so as to protect our staff, attendees, and the facilities from harm.
ON THE EXTERIOR of the sanctuary building, along the south and north walls, the tie rods appear to be supported by pillars that jut out from the wall. What are these pillars made of, and what is their condition? Here is an initial answer.
WHAT DID IT TAKE to provide sufficient purified air in our Chapel earlier today, in order to allow it to be used again safely for an adult group event?
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| Air Purifier #1 |