THE COMMITTEE WAS ASKED to provide the Board a list of priorities for the use of funds currently held in the Mishkon Tephilo Capital Improvements Fund (at Morgan Stanley). The committee was informed that approximately $400,000 was deposited into this fund from proceeds of the sale of the Powerhouse property and the bequest of Larry Kasdon.
(So begins the report. Below the jump, the remainder is given verbatim.…)
STRATEGIC BUDGETING is about prioritizing funds for the efficient use of capital resources. The Building & Grounds Committee strives to set its own priorities accordingly.
Standard facilities management principles are what determine the order of priorities. And in Mishkon’s case, our sanctuary building’s status as a historic-cultural monument is also a factor.
Generally speaking, our attention and money is best spent/invested in the following order, starting with the most important.
- Life-safety (e.g., fire exits)
- Integrity of the building envelope (against threats from: water intrusion, termites, earthquakes)
- Important systems (whose failure would greatly disrupt normal activity)
- Preventative maintenance, and improvements with a good return on investment (e.g., energy savings)
- “Historic-cultural monument” status: attend to the “character-defining features”*
- High-priority improvements (that would make the biggest difference)
- Low-value maintenance
*In other words, which of these distinctive features, if they were restored, would have the biggest positive impact? Which of these features, if they were not preserved, would be the biggest loss to Mishkon and to Venice?
Because if it is not followed, we are likely to end up with unhappy outcomes: catastrophes that were preventable, more money spent than was necessary, disruptions in our programs and services, undue burdens on our staff, etc.
Note that any visible “building improvements” — the exciting changes that you may be dreaming about — do not show up until #4 and #6 on this list!
DISCLAIMER: The above statement of principles and priorities is that of our committee only. It has not been officially endorsed by the board of directors.
STARTING A NEW fiscal year, with some new officers and directors, let us take stock of where we stand. From this vantage point, our recent accomplishments and imminent projects are taken as givens. What matters most are the challenges that we have yet to address.
The focus in this post is not on making improvements per se, but more simply on attending to what we currently have, beyond routine maintenance. I further restrict my focus here to items that are not obvious. (Which excludes repairing the flood damage in the basement.) This gives us our baseline for moving forward beyond this summer’s projects.
Below the jump, this post sums up the needs of our facilities major areas of concern. The list is not exhaustive. What is listed here alone will cost more than $180K. Most of the expenditures have been discussed by, and authorized by, the board of directors.
TWO WEEKS AGO, I hosted the representatives of two waterproofing companies. It prompted me to take a more careful look at the plaster-covered concrete wall at the southwest corner of our property. Its degradation is now obvious, as the result of water damage. It took a big hit this past winter.
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| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this post discusses the condition of what I am calling the “southwest edge” of our sanctuary property.…
INTERPRETING FINANCIAL NUMBERS so that they give us an informative picture of our situation is not easy. Having belatedly seen the reports from the most recent fiscal year, I notice that our congregation’s treasurer has made further refinements, compared to previous year’s reports.
It’s challenging to track the relationship between the capital income/expenditures and the operating income/expenses. Operating income/expenses come and go within a single year. In contrast, the capital can accumulate over more than one year; and conversely several years’ worth of accumulated capital can be spent in a single year.
The trick is to display those capital spring tides in a manner that sets them apart from the more regular, daily ebb and flow of the operations budget.
Below the jump, this post discusses two aspects of financial reporting where there still seems to be room for improvement.
YES, WE HAVE a grand, multi-year plan for the rehabilitation of Mishkon’s facilities. It is based on the 2003 Historic Structure Report, which offered us a list of priorities largely from a restoration perspective, and the 2019 Property Condition Assessment, which suggested measures based on a standard facilities management perspective.
THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP to yesterday’s post about the importance of enabling motions. This post documents the actual authorizations and the resulting spending to date.
• For a summary table of the 16 project categories approved so far, click/tap HERE.
• For a bar chart that compares the $$ amount authorized with the amount spent, click/tap HERE. (The image above is a detail from the bar chart.)
• For a fuller status report on what has been done, and what remains to be done, category by category, click/tap HERE.
WHEN IT COMES TO the repairs and restoration of our facility, we seldom know in advance what a project’s final cost will be. Unforeseen circumstances — otherwise known as surprises — are so common in poorly maintained older buildings. Consequently, it is not practical to ask the board of directors to authorize a precise amount (as would fit the purchase of a commodity item). That approach would probably result in halting the project in midstream, in order to get a reauthorization. And that requirement, in turn, would risk not only the success of the project, but also alienating our hard-working vendors.
So how can the board carry out its fiduciary (stewardship) responsibility to maintain the facility in good order? Find out below the jump.…
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.)
TO APPLY THE APPROACH to air purification that we used in the Chapel also to the kitchen, how many units would be needed, and where would they be placed?
This post documents a study of the situation.…
WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS for providing safe ventilation in the Social Hall? When it comes to preventing the spread of covid-19 infections, how does the performance and cost of the following options compare?
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.…
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 |
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE to get sufficient ventilation in our Social Hall, in order to allow it to be used again safely, despite pandemic waves? What kind of mechanical equipment would be needed, and how much would it cost?
WHEN WE LOOK FOR SOMEONE to do a maintenance/repair job for us, occasionally we come across a self-employed licensed contractor (or even an unlicensed one) who seems qualified and willing and affordable — except that they don’t have workers compensation insurance. (A small contractor who has no employees is legally exempt from the requirement to carry workers comp.)
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This post discusses how to proceed in such a case.…
IN THE CONGREGATION-WIDE SURVEY earlier this year, everyone was asked to respond to 3 statements that expressed attitudes toward our facilities maintenance and restoration needs. We were given three options as a reply: Definitely, Somewhat, or Not really.
For simplicity, I’m reporting (below the jump) the results only for the first and last options—leaving out the middle one. This yields a clear snapshot that is quite striking.…
THAT WAS THE TITLE of a timely introductory presentation sponsored this month by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (the international association of Conservative synagogues). Highly recommended for all readers of this blog is the Zoom recording (57 min.) HERE.
Related resources are also available…
GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING that the board’s policy has allocated from dues for maintenance and repair purposes, it is more than sufficient to pay for Mishkon’s regular, periodic maintenance needs.
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| A typical annual termite inspection |
And enough additional funds are likely to accumulate from these sources (as well as from the regular Building assessment, the Kleinman Family Fund, and any bequests) to fund the future replacement or restoration of worn components, as well.
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| Replaced patio flagstone, ready for grouting (Oct. 2021) |
However, there are three aspects of facilities care that are not provided for by regular funding: (1) the present replacement or restoration of worn components—that is, catching up on deferred maintenance and arresting the processes of degradation; (2) several new capital improvements worth doing soon; and (3) a cash cushion to allow big-ticket items to be paid for when the need arises. In other words, we need a sizable infusion of funds to get us over the hump of our present humble condition.
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| Sanctuary roof, looking westward |
In this post, I will discuss the target funding levels both for our urgent present facilities needs and for our future ones—and the prospects for achieving those.