Weighing the alternative to an elevator (Speculation)

ONE OF THE many reasons to provide wheelchair access to the basement is to achieve Mishkon’s own renovation priorities. Those priorities include the installation of proper HVAC systems in the basement (Social Hall and kitchen). It appears that according to the state building code’s Section 11B-202.4 (quite apart from the ADA), we will not be allowed to even start those projects unless we can show how someone in a wheelchair can travel to and from the basement.  

In order to provide such access, it appears that Mishkon has two options: 

• spend roughly $200K for an inclined platform lift in the east stairwell (as described here), or 
• spend roughly $400K for a small elevator (as discussed here and here).

Below the jump, this post briefly discusses the trade-offs involved in that big decision.

Wheelchair access to basement via the eastern stairwell (Speculation)

BEFORE WE COMMIT to a small elevator (or not), let’s consider one other way for a wheelchair user to get to the basement level: via the east stairwell that runs between the sanctuary building and the play yard. 

Few members even know of this stairwell’s existence, because Mishkon has long treated it as an emergency-only exit. It is located outdoors yet is covered by a shed roof and shielded from the play yard by opaque wooden fencing. 

For wheelchair access, when compared to the more familiar west (Main Street) stairwell, this east stairwell has two advantages: 

1. it offers a straight and uninterrupted route between ground level and the basement level; and 
2. its ground-level entry point would be close to the Hampton Drive street-level gate, and next to the planned ADA-accessible ramp into the sanctuary—meaning that someone who arrives in a wheelchair would already be in the vicinity. 

Could an inclined platform lift run along a track mounted in this stairwell?

Below the jump, this post explores the feasibility of that option for improved accessibility. It concludes with a ballpark cost estimate.…

A hidden shaft down to the basement (Background Report)

UNDER THE CONCRETE FLOOR of a storage closet that houses our sanctuary building’s electric meters, under the shed roof between the building and the play yard, is an opening to a vertical shaft.

Raised platform on floor of storage closet 
(marked by dotted red lines)

Below the jump, this post describes the shaft’s configuration, how it connects to the basement, its purpose, and its history—according to inferences drawn from my exploration of it this week.…

Water alarms installed in basement rooms (Activity Report)

BECAUSE OUR SANCTUARY BUILDING is empty most of the time, a sudden plumbling leak or backup might easily cause a lot of damage before anyone knows about it.

Happily, our synagogue’s insurance company (Church Mutual) has provided us—at no cost—with a small, continuous monitoring and alarm system. 

When one of its sensors detects wetness, the system not only beeps every second (much like a rather quiet smoke alarm), but also sends out an ALERT text message—to me, Fleming, and Ruben. That way, we have the opportunity to act quickly to prevent a small issue from becoming a big problem.

Below the jump, this post shows the location of the sensor units and the base station.…