Air purifier installed in school building (Activity Report)

I AM PLEASED to report that the air purification device described HERE was installed today. 

This means that:

• We are significantly reducing the airborne transmission of disease inside our school building — as long as the HVAC blower is on, and the hallway doors are kept ajar, so that the air can keep circulating throughout the building.
• To reiterate, the hallway doors need to be propped open by about an inch whenever possible, in order for this device to work its magic.
• The school building can now revert to using a standard MERV-8 air filter rather than a hospital-grade MERV-13 filter (which is not only more expensive but also shortens the life of the blower motor).

Below the jump, I give links to evidence that the ions produced by this device are indeed effective at neutralizing airborne pathogens directly, quite apart from whether the resulting agglomeration is ever trapped by the system’s air filter.… 

Security/shade covering for play yard: Best design and bid identified (Activity Report)

OUR PLAY YARD is used for many types of activities: as the preschool’s primary outdoor space, as a venue for Shabbat dinners, as the site of our annual sukkah, as the entryway into our sanctuary for wheelchair users, and more. Whatever approach to a security/shade covering that we install to protect the yard, it needs to be flexible enough to allow for all of those uses. It also needs to be durable, because equipment with a short lifespan is a hassle for our busy staff to deal with.

Awning at the Shalom School in Sacramento

That is why we are going with a slide-wire awning design, from a manufacturer of reliably durable products. 

Yet flexibility and durability do not come cheap. Which is why we now need to raise some donated funds above and beyond the amount of the Federation grant that we were awarded last year.

Below the jump, this post describes the selected design and the winning bid.…

Air purifier selected for school building (Activity Report)

WE HAVE SELECTED the most appropriate air purification device for our school/office building. It is a NuShield-R, which is a compact unit—smaller than a cigar box. It uses needlepoint bipolar ionization (NBPI) technology.

It appears that we can count on the impending air scrubber to significantly reduce the airborne transmission of disease inside our school building — as long as the hallway doors are kept ajar, so that the air can keep circulating throughout the building.

Below the jump, this post explains this unit’s benefits and features.

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.

Water intrusion continues in SW column (Activity/Condition Report)

THE ROOFER CAME on March 6 and patched a number of small cracks and other openings that were discovered in the flashing on the roof. This work was done under warranty. Yet the water intrusion into the portico’s southwest column continued during the most recent rainstorms at the end of March.

Below the jump, this post documents both the repair and the continuing damage.

Historically significant features of our main-floor restrooms/lobby (Condition Report)

CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES of our historic sanctuary building were identified in the Historic Structure Report (2003; “HSR”). These are the aspects that warrant historic preservation, in the eyes of architectural historians.

Below the jump, this post excerpts from here and there the HSR to describe and list the historically significant features in the four spaces that have been assigned the highest priority for rehabilitation/renovation. As named in the HSR, those spaces are known as the ladies’ lounge, ladies’ restroom, men’s restroom, and the narthex (lobby). 

Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Capital Priorities, as submitted 2/3/25 (Activity Report)

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.…)

HVAC units in school building free up reserve funds (Condition Report)

ACCORDING TO OUR JANUARY 2019 Property Condition Assessment (PCA), our school building’s HVAC units (= furnace, A/C fan coil, and rooftop A/C condenser) were likely to need replacement by 2024. So for more than a year, I have been bracing for an equipment failure any day now.

Below the jump, I recount the ironic tale of how I learned this past week that we can expect many more years of life from our HVAC equipment in that school building.…

Memorializing Ben Levy, whose widow was generous to Mishkon (Condition Report)

A LACONIC PLAQUE on the north wall of our bimah states that our congregation will say Kaddish eternally for Ben Levy on his yohrtsayt, the 16th of Tevet. Indeed, we did so on the Shabbat immediately preceding the 100th anniversary of his death, just a few weeks ago.

Over the years, the synagogue has gone to some lengths to keep Mr. Levy’s name alive—apparently to accord with promises that were made to his widow.

Below the jump, this post documents five signs about Ben Levy that have been posted at Mishkon through the years. In addition, his impressive and informative tombstone is discussed.…

Design criteria for the security/shade covering for play yard (Activity Report) [rev. 2/23]

IN COLLABORATION WITH our director of operations and our preschool director, Violet (the project champion) is developing a list of design criteria for the security/shade covering for our play yard that will be installed later this year. The idea is that all vendor bids must meet these criteria, in order to enable a fair comparison among them.

slide-on-wire retractable awning

Below the jump, I spell out that list of criteria (subject to revision upon further discussion), for the sake of review and refinement by all stakeholders, to make sure that we are all on the same proverbial page. I also append a list of my own current questions.

Water intrusion: status update (Condition Report)

ABOUT 6 HOURS after the rain stopped, I poked around to see how the synagogue fared. (Exactly 0.86” of rain had been measured nearby as falling within a 54-hour period—the most intensive storm so far this season.)

This spot registered as wet (red alarm condition).

Below the jump, this post briefly records the water-intrusion problems that still remain in 8 out of the 10 areas that I checked.…

Improving entry accessibility to sanctuary: Main Street side (Draft Proposal)

STAIRS POSE A CHALLENGE to many of our members and visitors. One option to increase accessibility is to install a stairlift. The prime location for a stairlift is in the front stairwell of the sanctuary building, between the street-level doors to Main Street and the lobby level. 

Below the jump, this post discusses a stairlift for that section of stairs, based upon my meeting with one vendor (for orientation).…