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April 6, 2001/Nisan 13, 5761, Vol. 53, No.27
Campus plans for accessibility, gets grant
BARRY COHEN
Editor
The Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus will be accessible for people of any religion, race and ethnicity, and also for those who are mobility impaired.
"In the spirit of rachmanis (compassion) and tikkun olam (repair of the world), we want the campus to go beyond basic requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act," said Becca Hornstein, executive director of the Council for Jews with Special Needs (CJSN).
In addition, a $500,000 contribution from the Steele Foundation has given the campus fund-raising team more than enough pledges for construction to begin, said Art Paikowsky, executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.
The Steele gift is one of two large pledges from the general community, including a package from the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Diamondbacks totaling $500,000.
"It will be a great center. Ina Levine was a great lady. I knew her well, and I know her husband, Bill," said Dan Cracchiolo, president of Steele Foundation and a Valley lawyer.
The campus will be "open to all sects and religions," and will do much good for the community, he added.
Meanwhile, on Feb. 27, representatives from the CJSN, Langdon Wilson Architects and the federation met to ensure campus floor plans complied with federal ADA requirements enacted in 1990.
CJSN representatives included Hornstein; Dena Rosen Epstein, CJSN board member and attorney with Arizona Center for Disability Law; and Annie Goldsand, who uses a wheelchair. Paul Krucko, project manager, and Susan Urban, interior designer, represented Langdon Wilson at the review meeting, and Fred Zeidman, assistant executive director, represented federation.
The recent meeting "was a logical continuation of a dialogue about making the facility fully accessible," Hornstein said. "We have been involved in the project since the original plans to create the Jewish community campus."
Base ADA requirements include having doors wide enough for wheelchairs to comfortably pass through, ensuring doors can be opened with minimal force, having restrooms wheelchair-accessible and placing automatic doors at high traffic locations, said Epstein.
Flooring choices were reviewed to determine whether a person in a wheelchair could navigate them with minimal effort, said Hornstein.
"We got a sense that changes would be made," she added, to make sure the building design exceeds ADA base regulations.
Zeidman cited the height of light switches as a design feature that could be improved beyond what the law requires. "Just lowering them a couple of inches could make them more convenient" for people in wheelchairs, he said.
Another design example is how wheelchair users enter a swimming pool. Both an electric hoist and a "zero grade slope" - enabling users to wheel into the pool, avoiding stairs or a steep drop-off - are ADA compliant, said Hornstein. "But you have to take into account the dignity of the users of the facilities."
Epstein said she is pleased the community campus pool has a zero grade slope and not a hoist but would like to have waterproof wheelchairs available for those who use electric models.
"We want a continuing voice in design review process," said Hornstein.
At appropriate times, campus leaders will consult with CJSN representatives to make sure the campus is as accessible as possible, said Zeidman.
In addition to goals to exceed ADA regulations, federation leaders also hope to raise more money for the campus.
"The campaign is still going on," said Paikowsky.
Increased funding likely would be allocated to gym bleachers, soccer field lighting and outside basketball courts, as well as a contingency fund to cover the cost of unanticipated changes to the building design.
The 114,000-square-foot campus building, on 29 acres at Scottsdale Road and Sweetwater Avenue in Scottsdale, will house the federation, Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, Bureau of Jewish Education, CJSN and satellite classrooms for the Phoenix Hebrew Academy.
Official opening is scheduled for Aug.13, 2002.
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