|
|
November 13, 1998/ 24 Cheshvan 5759, Vol. 51, No. 8
Letters to the Editor
11/13/1998
Planning for community center is on track
Editor:
I was very pleased to see the passionate interest in the completion of our new Jewish Community Campus as expressed in the letter to the editor that appeared in the Oct. 9 issue of Jewish News. It also expressed understandable frustration that may be shared by many in the community. With a project of this size and scope that is anticipated to accommodate not only a Jewish community center, but also many other Jewish service agencies on the site, there are many steps in the process that are not immediately apparent. Because we share the community's pressing desire to complete the campus as quickly as possible, let me share with you some of the tasks we've completed to date.
We conducted a judicious search for an executive director for the Jewish Community Center and hired Mark Shore, who began his duties this past summer.
After joining the team, Mr. Shore immediately began building a strong board of directors for the agency.
Concurrently, the task force retained the Levenberg Group, which conducted an exhaustive needs assessment. While the report corroborated some of our gut instincts, it also provided other valuable information.
After a careful review of several firms, we hired the architectural firm of Langdon Wilson with the Stein Cox group and the project management firm of CMX.
To determine which services we could accommodate on the campus, we reviewed all the agencies that desired tenancy at the new site. A variety of space plans were explored in an effort to maintain the community's expressed desire for the campus to be a "one-stop shop for all members of the family."
Once the residents of the campus were determined, architectural designs began. Schematics of the project are now under way and are expected in 30 to 45 days.
Next, to assure the greatest success of our capital campaign, we retained Robin Reynolds Creative, a professional advertising and public relations firm, to develop a creative public relations strategy and produce our donor development and media kits.
Finally, we are preparing to begin our initial capital campaign to large donors in mid-December. We hope to complete our fund-raising as quickly as possible. However, in the interest of fiscal responsibility, we will not proceed with final designs or construction plans until we have raised the money necessary to complete and maintain the project.
We hope to more effectively communicate our continuing progress on this vital project. We share the community's urgency and ask for your support and patience. If you have any questions or comments about our progress, please feel free to call the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix at 274-1800 and ask to speak to Mark Shore at ext. 132 or Fred Zeidman at ext. 120. After that, we look forward to having a central place where we can all gather to learn, play and discuss issues that are important to our community.
Ron Bookbinder
JCC Task Force chairman
Phoenix
|
