A plan for entry accessibility (Speculation)

GETTING IN AND OUT of our historic sanctuary building cannot be done according to either the normal building code or the more lenient state historic building code, unfortunately. Yet surely our impending restroom expansion will trigger a review of the building’s entry accessibility. This topic must be addressed before we can proceed with that larger project. Therefore I have been working toward a draft plan for entry accessibility, while discussing the topic with several architects.

Ultimately, such a plan will need to be formally developed by an architect of record. However, I find that our building poses certain constraints that will inevitably guide that plan. Below the jump, this post discusses those constraints, and the remaining options.

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.…

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. 

Elevator? More precisely, a lift

OUR GOAL IS to get one or two people at a time from the sanctuary (Hampton Drive gate) level down to the Social Hall and back up again — a vertical distance of about 13 feet. It turns out that the right device for that purpose is not an elevator but rather a lift. Specifically, a vertical platform lift (VPL).

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

Below the jump, this post discusses my first foray into the world of VPLs.…