Wood Panels

My apologies for not posting recently.
These photos were taken today Wednesday June 24, 2009.




We are exciting because they show the beginning of the wood panels being installed on the ceiling along with lighting.

Everything is coming together and it is very exciting.









Also, many have not seen the new skylight and windows which makes the space much brighter!









Here is a picture of Marc Tapper, Jayne Grudberg-Mocera and Elyse Shuster who attend each constructions meeting.







Oh and Marc insisted on taking a picture with me in it ...









And here is Bob Luchetti our Architect.

Work Continues Blog back on track

I apologize, I am not been diligent about the blog while balancing work and other commitments. Happily, work on the renovation has been going smoothly. The construction is on schedule and the contractors are working to frame the bimah and run the wires. The dramatic changes have already happened so as post week-to-week the changes will be more incremental.

Here you can see the framework of our new ceiling taking shape:









The new steps for the bimah have been framed up.








as you can see the steps extend much longer than our old steps












as work continues we will continue to update the blog.

Sloping the Floor

Now that the slab is out the site sub-contractor is moving around soil to create the sloped floor and the lower flexible area. It seems odd to see equipment in the sanctuary. An earthen ramp has been built to get the equipment in and out of the large area where the star of david was. In the photos you can see string and stakes as the builders measure elevations of soil to create the space of our renovated sanctuary.



In the image on the right you can see view of the space. The two men in the left side of the picture are Marc Tapper and Bob Luchetti, our architect. Where they are standing will be the fixed seating and in the middle will be the flexible area.







In this view you can see how the column in this distance and where our steps will be. What you cannot see is that along the edge of the wall will be the ramp to the lower bimah. On the other side will be the ramp to the upper bimah.








The space is really starting to take shape and we can imagine how it will look!

Say good-bye to the floor

Today the floor slab and the rest of the block columns were removed.


Now that the concrete has been removed the next step will be remove some soil and compact it to pour the new slab and sloped area.



As you can see the space looks a bit different. This is a major hurdle in the transformation of our space. On the right of the picture you can see the slender gray column that marks the edge of the bimah. To the left of that column will be the accessible ramp. The new Ark will directly in front of the opening that where all the sunlight is coming in on this picture.

Removing the Columns

One of the subjects that we discussed at length during budget discussion of the renovations was the columns.

It was very hard to visualize and many people questioned whether it was worth the money. Now that everything is exposed, the new steel is in it may be easier for people to understand what was going on.

Underneath the wood paneling at the the edges of the old bimah is a concrete block wall that ended in a concrete block column. The grey plane of concrete block is where the old menorah were.






This photo shows a worker welding two beams on to existing block. The idea here is that the beams transfer the weight from the roof to the new column and allows us to temporarily hold up the block while we remove the old and add the new.





Its all very exciting to see this finally happening!

Sanctuary Renovation: Construction/Communication Guidelines:

Why do we need guidelines?

When Beth El entered into a contract with Hamilton Construction to do the renovation – we stepped into a well established world of building practice, construction law and architectural liability. These are procedures that are followed on all construction projects and that the Beth El community also needs to abide by.

1. Mike Wolfson & Elyse Shuster are the only members of the BETC congregation that should have any direct contact with Hamilton or their sub-contractors. This is because they have been designated to act on the Temple’s behalf. The Renovation oversight Committee will continue to meet and to discuss/decide ongoing issues, and the smaller Construction oversight group will have regular weekly (and sometimes daily) meetings with the project manager. Any larger contractual issues will go to the Board and through the Temple President.

2. If anyone else wants to visit the sanctuary under construction, they must be accompanied by Hamilton Construction’s designated person. This is very important for insurance and liability purposes.

3. If you have a concern, please contact Mike Wolfson or Elyse Shuster. If you have trouble reaching either of them – the Temple Office or a member of the Sanctuary Renovation Oversight Committee can also be an appropriate filter for your comments.

4. Please be respectful of Hamilton Construction staff. They have been instructed to politely redirect any member of the BETC community to talk to the Oversight Committee through Mike Wolfson and Elyse Shuster.

5. If you feel like you want to address a concern outside of Elyse, Mike or the Oversight Committee, please contact either The Temple President – Jill Tapper or Vice President – Leslie Copes-Finke.

Thank You for your cooperation

Michael Wolfson & Elyse Shuster

Demolition

Things are moving along and demolition has proceeded.
The choir loft is almost all gone and the sanctuary really looks different.

This view is looking back to where the bimah used to be ...




From the other side - the outline of the plaster at the ceiling shows where the columns are - as yet to be removed ...





This is detailed view showing where the old bathroom was behind the bimah, robbing room. You can see clearly the masonry columns that will need to be removed and steel put in to replace them ...


Here you can see the side of what formerly was the bimah. The men in the picture are Ted Levitt the project manager for Hamilton Construction and Bob Luchetti our architect.