Completing the Dream

Wood Panels

2009-06-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

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:

2009-01-26T09:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-22T22:18:00.000-08:00

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.

What we are doing ...

2009-01-09T05:54:00.000-08:00

IMPORTANT - for some reason the blog program imported the images in blue - these are not the colors for the sanctuary and I will fix this when I can figure out what went wrong!

I received the following question:

On Sun, Jan 4, 2009 at 11:31 AM, Kliger, Ronn <Ronn.Kliger@analog.com> wrote:

Hi Mike,
It's good to see that our project has started! Something I am wondering
about are the details of the final plan. I know there were many changes
along the way but I don't know that the details of what the final
project will and will not include have ever been communicated to the
congregation. I also haven't seen where the latest cost estimate ended
up. I think it would be helpful to communicate this to the congregation
so we have a better idea of what to expect.
Thanks,
Ronn

There is a good chance that many in the congregation are asking the same question. It is sometimes hard being on the Renovation Committee because we are caught up in the small details and sometimes forget that we have not communicated the big picture.

At the time of the October 2008 Board meeting there was some question to whether or not we would be able to do two major items: Sloping the floor and moving the columns. I am happy to say that both of these things are being done. We have received very competitive bids and in some cases our contractor has advised us that they would like to keep working with some subcontractors to keep working to get the prices lower. The following items will also be part of the renovation:
- skylight above the bema
- new sound system
- new wood floating ceiling over flexible area
- wood panelling
- new lighting
- new sound system
- accessible bimah (this was never in question)
- pews and flexible seating

If you have any questions about what is part of the renovation please email me at michael.alan.wolfson@gmail.com and I can answer this for everyone!

Chanukah

2008-12-29T17:44:00.001-08:00

Cantor Fine wanted to share the following ...

"...we had our first services (during Hanukah) in what will be our sanctuary for the next few months. We said a Shehecheyanu as we begin our journey of fulfilling the dream!"

It was a lovely service in our temporary home.

Today Hamilton Construction installed the protection for the stain glass windows by building a wall to protect our prized stain glass from construction.

As you will notice from the photos - the pews are now gone ...

... the carpet has been removed

... the ark is being stored

... the yiskor wall is being protected

Renovation Update

2008-12-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

We’ve finally begun! During Hanukkah, the sanctuary was emptied out. Thanks to our office staff, custodial staff, and members of the Brotherhood, the choir loft, closets, and all moveable objects were moved out of the sanctuary. Brad Harkavy and an assortment of volunteers trudged through the snow to take out much of the mahogany from the pews and the bimah – thanks Brad! It’s nice to know that some of our wood will be recycled! Hamilton Construction Management, our contractors, came in during the rest of the week and took out what remained of the pews and the carpet. Our sanctuary is now almost completely empty (check out the pictures on the blog)- a strange sight, to be sure. It’s like an empty canvas now, just waiting to be filled it!

Next week, the stained glass protection will be mounted, and the old organ will be taken out with the help of Peter Krasinski, our wonderful organist, who is so appreciative of the gift of this organ.

Just after New Years, the abatement contractors will set up the protection as they prepare to remove all hazardous materials from the space. These materials are mostly floor tile and some insulation that is basically inert but State Law requires it is handled by liscenced contractor. As this begins, there will be absolutely NO access to the sanctuary as the space will be hermetically sealed with a negative pressure ventilation system and contained with sheets of heavy plastic. The contractors will be using the side entrance to access the space and to properly remove and dispose of any hazardous material. As in any abatement job, we will follow very stringent procedures, in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws. And air monitoring will be done by an inspector - throughout the project each day –the inspector will be independent of the abatement contractor. The process is expected to take about a week. During this process, and throughout the entire renovation, the rest of the building will be completely accessible and safe.

We will try to provide ongoing updates throughout the renovation, and we have a new blog where you can also see pictures, and find out what progress is being made.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either Mike Wolfson or Elyse Shuster.

Moving Forward

2008-12-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

On December 20, 2008 the last B'nai Mitvah will be celebrated in the Sanctuary before the renovation begins. On Sunday December 21, 2008 we will begin preparations for the renovations. A small group of volunteers will make sure the Sanctuary is ready to turn over to the contractor before they begin demolition. This is an exciting time!

We will use this blog to post construction updates and to keep the community informed. Currently, we are finalizing the contract and schedule to finally begin.

Step one will be for the Contractor to protect the stain glass. The carpet and whatever pews are left will be removed and a liscenced abatement contractor will be coming in to remove the flooring. When we began this process a hazardous materials engineering firm, tested the sanctuary and found that the floor contains asbestos tile. In Massachusetts, the Department of Environmental Protection regualates how this can be removed. The first two weeks of the renovation will be primarily the removal of the tile. The process involves air testing at every stage and whenever work is being done the Sanctuary will be sealed. At the end of the abatement further air testing is done to ensure that everyone is protected.

In January we will see much more activity as the renovation begins to take shape. Feel free to post questions and we will attempt to provide answers as we go from the years of planning to the reality of renovation.