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October 13, 2000/14 Tishri 5761, Vol. 53, No.3
Tri-City JCC lease to expire
LEISAH NAMM
Staff Writer
After 16 1/2 years at its Tempe location, the Tri-City Jewish Community Center is looking for a new home.
The JCC's lease on Ward School, at 1965 E. Hermosa Drive in Tempe, expires Aug. 31, 2001, and the landlord, Tempe School District 3, has other plans for the building, said John Baracy, district superintendent.
JCC early childhood and school activities will not be disrupted, and summer camp in 2001 will be held at the current location, said Ilene Blau, JCC executive director.
The district informed the JCC it would not extend the lease further when a prior lease expired last Aug. 31.
"There's been no final decision on the use of the building for next year, although we are looking strongly at early childhood programs," Baracy said.
The early-childhood concept, which would include grades preschool through second or third grade, is new for the Tempe district, he said.
Baracy cites a "dramatic turnaround in enrollment" as the reason behind needing the building.
"We'd been at a declining situation for a long time, but we're now seeing a shift in the demographics and an increase in enrollment (that's) especially increasing at the lower grades now," Baracy said.
The JCC school has classes for children ages 6 weeks through second grade, with plans to add a third grade next September, Blau said.
The JCC most likely will locate south of its current facility, she said. "We have to see what the availability and the affordability is in our targeted site area," which she defined as between the 101 freeway on the east, the 10 freeway on the west, Guadalupe Road on the north, and Chandler Boulevard on the south.
A relocation planning committee headed by George Jacobson and George Goffman is looking for new space and will oversee the move, Blau said.
The JCC is seeking architects, commercial real estate representatives and relocation professionals to assist the committee in determining both short-term and long-term solutions that would ultimately result in the JCC's establishing a permanent home, she said.
The JCC's short-range plan is to find an existing building with a lease or lease-to-purchase situation.
The JCC currently occupies 25,000 square feet, Blau said. A new location would require a minimum of 20,000 square feet to encompass a minimum of 12 classrooms, kitchen, multipurpose room and administrative offices.
The JCC also needs outdoor playground space and a playing field.
The JCC is a constituent agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.
"We're committed to working with them and helping them find a new home," said Fred Zeidman, federation assistant director and director of planning. "They're an important part of the community and they're a part of the federation family."
To assist in the relocation process, contact Jacobson or Goffman at the JCC, 480-897-0588.
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