OUR HISTORIC SANCTUARY building was dedicated on Sept. 26, 1948, which that year corresponded with the 22nd of Elul. (This year, the 22nd of Elul falls on Sept. 7–8.) In honor of the occasion, some of us have been delving into its history and features.
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| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, you will find a list of interesting facts about the building.…
WE HAVE THREE thermostats, all of which are the same model: a Honeywell Wifi 9000 Color Touchscreen. For the manual and online support, go HERE.
…challenges of all — out of the 10 essential roof-supporting posts that sit inside our sanctuary’s walls — appears to be the easternmost one on the south side. That’s not surprising, given that for nearly 75 years it has been sitting inside the pilaster that is the most weather-exposed, and at the edge of a sun-baked, asphalt-covered parking lot.
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| July 13 (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this blog post recounts our cautious, step-by-step process to understanding what needs to be done — and eventually what it will cost.
THIS POST recounts my due diligence regarding certain cracks observed in a foundation wall.
THE SANCTUARY WALL that faces southeast (which we call “the south wall” for convenience) is pretty massive: 139 ft long, and 25 ft high on average.
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| With the early morning shadows from our neighbor’s suspended cables (As usual, click/tap on an image in order to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this post will document and illustrate this wall’s recent rehabilitation, which the contractor says is now about 90% complete.
UNLIKE MOST BUILDING WALLS, our sanctuary’s long walls are made of two different materials: concrete (along the bottom), and a wood frame that is covered with gypsum lath and plaster. This has been a problem for the portion of the south wall that is exposed to the (sometimes blazing) sun, as compounded by re-radiation from the adjacent asphalt parking lot. In reaction to the daily heating-and-cooling cycles, the two parts of our wall respond differently: they expand and contract at different rates. Little wonder, then, that over the past 25 years, a horizontal crack developed along the seam between the two parts of the wall, running about 70' long.
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| 1/10/23: Horizontal crack at the seam of the concrete wall and the frame wall also showing moisture damage from water intrusion (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
As you probably know, the wall is in the process of reconstruction, as part of the interior painting project. Below the jump, this post explains the steps that we have taken to prevent that crack from reappearing.
YESTERDAY, our arborist, Al Gwilliam of Al’s Landscaping, pruned the street tree on Main Street that shades our front steps.
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| Almost done! (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this post displays the two “before” and “after” photos that Al was kind enough to take.
Yesterday I spent the morning with Nathan Delgado, a service technician from Acme Heating & Air conditioning, with whom Mishkon has a service contract.
WHENEVER I COULD, I have accompanied a service technician or inspector when they are on the premises. Yes, I could leave it to Ruben, and he will generally report afterward about learning something or other, but I have found that when I am present, not only do I learn more about our facilities and what matters, but also the technician/inspector will do a better job than they would do alone.
Below the jump, I expand a bit on this idea.…
OUR GOAL IS to get one or two people at a time from the sanctuary (Hampton Drive gate) level down to the Social Hall and back up again — a vertical distance of about 13 feet. It turns out that the right device for that purpose is not an elevator but rather a lift. Specifically, a vertical platform lift (VPL).
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| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this post discusses my first foray into the world of VPLs.…
OUR ALARM SYSTEM operates with the help of various batteries. Below the jump, this post discusses them and how to replace them (upon seeing a “low battery” warning). It focuses mostly on the main system battery, shown here.
