Campus takes shape

VOSJCC now offering tours of facility

LEISAH NAMM
Assistant Editor

Despite the dusty floors, paint fumes and unfinished walls, it's becoming easier to imagine what the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus will look like when it's finished.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center offers hardhat tours of the 115,000-square-foot facility, located on the 30-acre property at Scottsdale Road and Sweetwater Avenue in Scottsdale.

Although there's still plenty of work needed - the campus is scheduled to open in September - one can almost imagine children in the classrooms and basketball players on the indoor court as JCC tour guides point out the future use of each area of the campus.

JCC membership moves to site

Glass doors were recently installed for the indoor racquetball court, pointed out tour guide Terry Smallin, VOSJCC director of sports, recreation and fitness. He also led the tour group through the unfinished locker rooms, where workers were busy constructing an indoor whirlpool.

Outside, excavation of three pools - a toddler pool, a competitive pool and a family pool for lessons, laps, water aerobics and family play - is in process, with a scheduled completion date of December. In this area, mosaic panels from the former JCC facility in Phoenix stand tall - when the pool area is complete, they will be lit up at night and visible through the glass wall of the lobby, said Mark Shore, VOSJCC president. The eight-panel series depicts the story of Creation.

The 12 columns of the building symbolize the 12 Tribes of Israel, explained tour guide and VOSJCC preschool director Joanie Charnow. The 12 angles of the building symbolize the 12 angles of the Star of David.

Soon the campus will be cooled with air conditioning instead of large fans. On a July 11 tour for preschool parents and their children, tour participants were given bottled water and handheld paper fans left over from the campus' groundbreaking ceremony.

As part of the tour, participants walk through the area where the stage stood at last year's May 20 ceremony - which is slowly transforming into a social hall that will hold 300 people auditorium-style and 250 with round tables.

When the campus opens, a caf‚ operated by Chicago-based Danzinger Kosher Catering and supervised by Greater Phoenix Vaad Hakashruth will offer Double Rainbow ice cream, Starbucks coffee, pizza, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a sushi bar and other pareve and dairy foods, Shore said.

JCC hours will be 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 1-6 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

In observance of Shabbat, there will be no programming or business transactions, including food service, on Saturday, Shore said, but the gym and pools will be open.

The facility will house the Bureau of Jewish Education, Council for Jews with Special Needs, Jewish Community Foundation, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, Phoenix Hebrew Academy and VOSJCC.

Future campus construction is expected to include buildings for the Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School and The King David School.

Said Shari Cohen, a preschool parent on the July 11 tour, "I can't wait until this place opens."

Contact the writer at leisah_namm@jewishaz.com.

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