Summary status report on our facilities needs, 2026 (Speculation)

NEARING THE END of this fiscal year, with newly elected officers and directors, let me 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.

Below the jump, this post sums up the needs of our facilities’ major areas of concern. The list is not exhaustive. 

Facilities management principles — and strategic budgeting (Statement)

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.

1. Life-safety (e.g., fire exits)
2. Integrity of the building envelope (against threats from: water intrusion, termites, earthquakes)
3. Important systems (whose failure would greatly disrupt normal activity)
4. Preventative maintenance, and improvements with a good return on investment (e.g., energy savings)
5. “Historic-cultural monument” status: attend to the “character-defining features”*
6. High-priority improvements (that would make the biggest difference)
7. 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?

 

Why is this list important? 

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. 

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.

Our synagogue and the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA)

IS OUR SYNAGOGUE EXEMPT from the A.D.A., as a religious entity? Yes and no. While our own programs are exempt, the activity of any non-religious body that rents space from us appears to be subject to the A.D.A.

Hence our ability to lease our (downstairs) facilities depends upon our accommodation to A.D.A. requirements.

Below the jump, this post excerpts the more formal language on the official website ada.gov.

Fire safety and restoration efforts

As we begin to prepare for a (series of) rehabilitation projects in the sanctuary building’s basement, it’s worth thinking carefully about fire safety. Surely we wish to ensure that our plans will satisfy City officials. Furthermore, we also want to see that the construction work itself doesn’t start any fires.

Helpfully, a section of our Historic Structure Report (2003) is devoted to these topics. It quotes from two documents by the National Fire Protection Association, titled “Recommended Practice for Fire Protection in Historic Structures” and “Standard for the Protection of Cultural Resources Including…Places of Worship.” Below the jump, this post will share some highlights from that section.…

Accessibility versus historic preservation

ONE OF THE QUESTIONS that came up during a recent planning tour of the premises was: “How is Mishkon expected to trade off the competing considerations between making the building more accessible to mobility-challenged persons and preserving it as a historic-cultural monument? What do the relevant laws, codes, and preservation guidelines tell us?”

 

When questions like this arise, I consult the Historic Structure Report (“HSR”; 2003), because that is exactly what an HSR is for. As the National Park Service noted in 1991, “Historic Structure Reports are reference documents for the purpose of minimizing the loss of significant [historic] fabric during restoration or rehabilitation work.” 

Below the jump, this post summarizes what our HSR has to say on the matter. 

Goals in the grant application

THIS POST is the 4th and last in a series of excerpts from our application last week for consideration for a grant award from the National Fund for Sacred Places, a non-profit organization. 

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, this post describes the time line of the grant program, our proposed scope of work under this grant, and the main components of our total fundraising goal. 

Mishkon serves its community in many ways

THIS POST is the 3rd in a series of 4 excerpts from our application last week for consideration for a grant award from the National Fund for Sacred Places, a non-profit organization. 

Below the jump, this post lists some of the ways that Mishkon Tephilo contributes to our local community — and in return deserves support from that community. 

Significance of our sanctuary building: Historic, cultural, and architectural

THIS POST is the 2nd in a series of 4 excerpts from our application last week for consideration for a grant award from the National Fund for Sacred Places, a non-profit organization. 

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, this post sums up what makes our sanctuary building so special.

Why Mishkon’s historic building deserves the support of non-members

LAST WEEK, Mishkon applied to be considered for a grant award from the National Fund for Sacred Places, a non-profit organization. This post is the first in a series of four excerpts from our application. 

Below the jump, this post addresses a central question: Why should the National Fund support our congregation—as opposed to another church, synagogue, or mosque?

What’s the grand plan for our facilities?

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.

Below the jump, this post gives an overview of our facilities plans. It lays out recent accomplishments and what is cued up for the future.

The challenge of heating the sanctuary on Shabbat morning

IN THE WINTER, it’s a challenge to protect our worshipers from airborne illness while also keeping them warm enough, and while minimizing water damage to our facilities from rainfall. Fortunately, given the relatively temperate climate in Venice, we face this challenge only a few months of the year. Yet during those months, the situation requires active management. 

The HVAC control interface via the internet
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Each week during cold weather, the trade-offs need to be weighed. Factors include predictions for the outdoor temperature, the wind velocity and direction, the amount of rainfall — and how prevalent and how severe the covid-19, flu, and RSV infections are locally. 

Below the jump, this post discusses the challenges and trade-offs. It suggests some management guidelines, based on my experience last winter.

City oversight of cultural-historic monuments

ACCORDING TO THE LOS ANGELES Cultural Heritage Ordinance, the Cultural Heritage Commission is vested with the responsibility to preserve the city’s monuments. The full text of the ordinance is available here.

This post outlines the Commission’s duties and procedures with regard to its oversight of monuments, drawing upon the ordinance itself and brief comments by the city’s preservation architect.

Mishkon as a landmark: Report summary

THIS POST gives you access to my 4-page summary of the Historic Structure Report (2003), a still-valuable yet little-known work that was prepared for Mishkon by a cadre of experts. Click HERE for the PDF file.

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, I briefly describe the significance of the original report and of the new summary.…

Enabling motions: Status report

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.

Enabling motions: The key to restoring our facilities

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.…

A look ahead at my final 6 months as chair

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.)

South Wall: Incremental Steps toward Test Cuts (rev. 11/13)

MAKING TEST CUTS into the south wall will be an adventure in discovery. (Best case: we find that the wall’s structural integrity is in good shape. Worst case: we find that there’s significant structural damage due to water damage, dry rot, termites; and maybe there’s mold, as well.) The point of this exercise is to be able to develop reliable cost estimates for structural repair and waterproofing later this year. 

There are many issues to consider in advance, in order to ensure that we get useful and reliable answers to our questions. To me, the pending discovery stage feels a bit like sending an unmanned mission to Mars—we’ve got to get it right long before the probe lands on the unexplored surface of interest.

An American probe sent to Mars

Below the jump, this post discusses the various considerations.…

What Is a “Capital Improvement”?

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.…

Suggested Projects for the Community Building Day

A FEW WEEKS PRIOR to her recent adventure in parturition, Shiri Sassoon asked me for my suggestions of hands-on projects to engage volunteers at the upcoming Community Building Day. 

Here is my wish list, at least in rough form, in order of importance. Now if you tell me which ones that you are interested in pursuing, I will help to refine them.…