A look ahead at my final 6 months as chair

WHEN I TOOK ON THE MANTLE of chair of the B&G Committee, my initial commitment was for the second (i.e., last) year of my term on the board. About halfway through that period, I announced my willingness to remain as chair for an additional fiscal year — so that Cindy’s successor could enjoy the continuity while growing into the job of being president. (Little did I know at the time that my own dear spouse would decide to stand for office — and get elected as president!) Indeed, that decision has proven to be helpful to Carole.

Now, as I am on the cusp of my final 6 months in this post, let me share my vision for the remaining period. (Aside from certain termite-related work that is discussed elsewhere on this blog, which is already scheduled for January.)

As I have been saying consistently since before I accepted this position, the rational way to manage a somewhat dilapidated facility is to triage: focus first on those deferred maintenance items for which the cost and effort to take care of them will accelerate if they are put off. (Yes, I know, those aren’t the fun projects — yet taking care of them first means that we are using our financial and human capital efficiently.) We are still in that urgent phase of our restoration effort, due to water intrusion problems that remain, and to a few loose ends with regard to termites.

Consequently, here is my to-do list… 

Cracked stucco on a south-wall window sill

1.  I hope to make headway on stopping the intrusion of moisture through our sanctuary’s exterior walls. Perhaps I can at least complete waterproofing of the south wall, so that my successor can then see to refinishing and repainting the interior of our noble hall. (That would make everyone proud! And therefore I need to get a quote, so that we can start accumulating the funds for that project, too.) Happily, the ~$60K needed for waterproofing the south wall has been tentatively made available, pending the board’s authorization. The work itself will be complex and intricate, requiring a lot of my attention. For waterproofing to work, there’s little room for error.

Repairs to a roof parapet

2.  I’d like us to be ready for the prospect that, when our roofing contractor does his annual inspection in May, he may say, “Given the condition of this membrane, I’m no longer willing to guarantee that it will remain free of leaks for another year. It’s time for a new roof membrane.” (Last May, he cautioned us that “This membrane has only 1 to 2 years of life left.”) That means being prepared to spend $50–60K, as an investment in keeping the place dry — and free of all the problems that new leaks would bring. (A year ago, about 80% of that amount had been tentatively made available even before it was truly needed, so hopefully those offers will recur when they become timely.) If that happens to be the roofer’s verdict, I would develop the job specs and gather bids.

3.  The northerly portion of the front façade of our sanctuary is badly in need of some scraping, caulking, and repainting. I’d love to see that taken care of, not only for appearance’s sake (to be a good neighbor on Main Street), but also to reduce the degree of water intrusion through the walls, until proper waterproofing work can be done there. However, I don’t yet know when or if the $1.2–1.8K needed will be available during this fiscal year.

4.  Given the time constraints posed by the Jewish Federation’s grant funding for a fence/gate to protect our sanctuary’s front entrances or perimeter, I intend to see to it that we hold a community forum, settle on an optimal design/configuration, refine the specs, get bids, assign a vendor, and start construction — all by July 6.

Your name here?

5.  Finally, I would of course like to identify a successor as committee chair. They will be in a much better position than I was when I started! They will have written records as to what’s been done, they will know what needs doing, they will have procedures already set up, and they will have the chance to get more things done that have visible results.