Entry accessibility plan for the sanctuary building (Activity Report)

AN ENTRY ACCESSIBILITY PLAN was required by the City as a prerequisite for doing renovations. Happily, ours has now taken shape. On October 23, our architect presented the draft plan to a civil engineer on the disability access team at the Department of Building & Safety (LADBS). She said that the concept seemed workable, given our needs and constraints. That not only clears the way for the planned restroom renovations, but also sets the course for significant accessibility improvements.

Below the jump, this post lays out our plan.… 

Improving entry accessibility to sanctuary: Hampton Drive side (Draft Proposal)

THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR is the only entrance to (and exit from) our historic sanctuary that works for someone in a wheelchair. Yet that success is mixed: It relies upon employing portable aluminum ramps that are placed at a steep (and thus rather unsafe) angle. And making it work requires careful attention from at least a couple of people at a time.

Surely we can do better than this! Therefore I am planning to propose to the board that we engage an architect to design a solution for us.

Below the jump, this post lists the criteria for a proposed project to improve the level of accessibility through this corridor. It also touches on the role of an architect in this project’s success.

Four possible sites for a lift/elevator: FEEDBACK REQUESTED

THE IDEA OF having an elevator in our sanctuary building is attractive in theory. Yet fitting one into an existing (and historic) building would not be easy. In fact, it’s looking to be darn difficult! 

So far, architects have suggested four possible sites in our sanctuary building as potentially workable for a Limited Use / Limited Access (LULA) elevator. That’s the smaller type that is suitable for retrofits in existing churches and synagogues.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.  If you are a Mishkon member, then upon request I will provide you with a memo that shows the four proposed sites (on the floor plans of the two main levels) and then outlines their relative benefits. Each location has its advantages and disadvantages. 

If you care where this elevator might go, then get in touch with me soon! (Use the Mishkon directory if need be.) After you understand the options, I want to hear from you.

Once a functionally optimal site becomes more clear, we can gather cost data; and then there will be something for the ad-hoc planning committee to consider in its prioritizing—and perhaps ultimately something for the board to discuss and vote on. Until then, all of this is merely exploratory.

—David Stein

Summary status report on our facilities needs

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.

Strategy for reviving the Social Hall (Speculation)

RECENTLY WE RECEIVED an insurance settlement to cover repairs to the basement spaces that were damaged by water from a defective fire sprinkler. Given that we not only want to fix the torn-up walls but also create a space that we can readily use (and even rent out), what steps should we now take toward reviving the Social Hall, and in what order? 

Below the jump, I sketch out an integrated approach—which represents my opinion alone. I am not speaking for Mishkon as a synagogue.…

Scope of work for concrete repair (Summer 2024)

BELOW THE JUMP, this post describes certain concrete-repair and waterproofing work that is needed due to water damage. 

Anti-corrosion primer applied during a repair to south wall in 2023.
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

The following description is intended for the contractors whom I am asking to bid on the job.…

Water Intrusion Under Front Steps — A Possible Approach

IT MAY BE POSSIBLE to stop water intrusion through the sanctuary’s front steps, after all. (This is a follow-up to my post of 2-7-22, which I updated on 7-18-22. Later that year, I met with a vendor who described to me a proprietary process, and he sent me ballpark pricing. 

Front steps in 1948 (building dedication)

On the strength of that proposal, our board of directors recently authorized a certain expenditure for this work, as funds become available. Below the jump, this post briefly describes the proposed approach.…

Condition of the Main Street façade

THE SANCTUARY BUILDING façade on Main Street is due for restoration, given the longstanding water intrusion in the hallway. The same kind of problems that we found at the south wall are increasingly evident. They seem to be the result of two of the 1948 construction methods — namely, the lack of a weep screed and of a waterproof coating for the above-ground portion of the concrete foundation.

We know basically what needs to be done. Now it’s a matter of gathering the necessary funds, completing a contract, and arranging the logistics of the restoration work.

Below the jump, this post documents the present condition of the walls, via photographs. (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Improving HVAC in the school building

THERE’S A LOT of room for improvement in the HVAC system of our school/office building. Thermal-comfort levels are good but not great. Our hospital-grade filter is reducing the risk of airborne disease, but it is taxing the air-supply blower. Running more than 45 hours per week, this HVAC system is much more heavily used than the one in the sanctuary. That’s why in July, when a preschool parent expressed interest in funding a system upgrade, it became my personal highest-priority new project for Mishkon. (This one is moving slowly, however, because I’m still heavily involved in old projects.)

A return-air register for mounting in a door
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, I discuss the prospects for improvement. This work would be done in late December, during the preschool break.…

Help Wanted: Volunteer Positions (updated 6-26-24)

WE MISHKON MEMBERS can easily convince ourselves that (nearly) everything at the synagogue is being taken care of. After all, we have paid staff. We have devoted officers and directors and committees. We even have eager ad-hoc volunteers for cleaning up after Kiddush lunches. 

Nonetheless, there are significant gaps in what is being attended to. Wouldn’t you like to know what those gaps are?

This post lays out some of Mishkon’s needs for your energy and acumen, as they relate to B&G concerns. Perhaps you or someone you know would thrive from being engaged in these matters! 🤔

Water Intrusion Under Front Steps — Not Yet Stopped

FEW PEOPLE ARE AWARE that our sanctuary’s front steps sit atop a portion of the basement. Until now, probably even fewer have known that whenever those steps get wet (from rainfall, or being hosed down, or washed), water percolates through and finds its way onto the ceiling of the rooms beneath. 

The results of this intrusion? They include: rusted rebar, spalling of the concrete, degradation of basement wall surfaces, damage to the ceiling drywall, discoloration of ceiling paint, dripping of water onto the floor, and potential dry rot in the ceiling joists.

In this post, I will discuss the nature of this problem, our attempted resolutions, and my plans for future action.