Has the board approved a full (wraparound) stairlift?

ANSWERING THAT QUESTION is a complex endeavor, because of the indirect way that the approval came about. The short answer is Yes: the board approved two related motions in February that together constitute approval of a full stairlift. One motion approved its upper half, and the other motion approved its lower half. 

What has puzzled some board members is the fact that the stairlift was not mentioned explicitly in the wording of either motion.

Below the jump, this post explains how it all came together.…

First motion: The upper half

The first motion was titled “Entry accessibility improvements” and it stated:

BACKGROUND: Mishkon can ease entering/exiting our sanctuary building for people who find stairs difficult (via, e.g., constructed ramps, or a stairlift). Indeed, our doing so will be required in order to get building permits to make further alterations to the facility.

ENABLING MOTION: That Mishkon engage an architect to optimize entry accessibility to its sanctuary and proceed with construction, up to a total of $22,000…

A stairlift was mentioned as part of the possible mix; and the board had been informed of my blog post describing a stairlift’s benefits and features. What I described verbally was a straight stairlift that would run only between the Main Street landing and the lobby landing—which according to two quotes would cost about $8K (not including electrical work needed to provide power). 

The motion itself addressed only optimized entry access between the Main Street landing and the lobby/sanctuary level. It did not address access to the lower level, for three reasons: the Social Hall was not in use at that time; I wanted to take action with the funds then available; and I didn’t realize that the City would view access to the lower level as an integral part of our entry accessibility plan (see below).

Second motion: The lower half

Then the board approved a second motion: to engage an architect for “the first phase of renovations: upgrades to the lobby-level restrooms, in concert with lobby improvements and the siting of a possible elevator.” 

As noted in the background to the first motion, our impending restroom expansion triggered a review by the City of the building’s entry accessibility; this topic needed to be addressed by an architect of record before we could proceed with the larger project. That is why we were asking our architect to optimize entry accessibility—which in practice meant the development of a formal plan. 

Our architect’s plan for entry accessibility, which has recently been accepted in concept by the City, does include the full stairlift as an integral component. Indeed, Mishkon is required by the City to replace the previous inclined vertical lift with something similar—that is, running the full height of the stairwell.

Because its installation (including the run to the lower level) has thereby become a prerequisite for the restroom expansion, the board’s approval of the expansion project implicitly included the marginal cost of extending the stairlift all the way to the lower level. 

That marginal cost is $9.7K. Happily, the Fundraising Committee believes that a stairlift is the kind of improvement that attracts directed donations—and therefore it plans to raise such funds for it.

Benefits of a full stairlift

Aside from the fact that the City requires it, there are five other good reasons to install a full wraparound stairlift now, compared to my initial incremental (upper-half-only) approach.… 

1. We will save $2.3K in equipment cost. When in April I received a third quote for the Main-Street-to-lobby-level run for $6K, I also asked that vendor for the cost of a second unit to run between the Main St. landing and the lower level; it was $15K. Thus the two separate units would together cost $21K. Alternatively, I was told, we could get a single 3-stop lift that would run the full distance—from lower level to lobby landing—for $18.7K. 
2. Total permitting costs will be lower. 
3. Total ongoing maintenance costs will be lower. 
4. For someone who is traversing the entire distance, a full stairlift will be both easier and safer for them to get to their destination.
5. A full stairlift will enable us to provide improved access to the Social Hall in time for this year’s gala fundraising event there—making it a more inclusive and satisfying celebration.