New Building Update: The Finale! And…
By Steve Davis

Over the last several years I have had the opportunity to participate in the planning and building of the social hall and sanctuary renovation. I’ll be the first to admit that my service has been peripheral to the real work of construction; still, it has been great fun photographing the building process and writing these columns.

Click HERE to view the New Building Project Galleries.
Click HERE to view a video of the New Social Hall.

During this endeavor, I’ve seen many talented people devote their efforts for the Temple Sinai community. First we had to find a location for a “new Temple,” which eventually brought us back to our current location. There was a design committee that developed building and renovation plans; a construction committee, and a fixtures, furnishings, and interiors (FF&I) committee. There are way too many people to thank, but they sure did their jobs well. I think we all deserve to sit back and enjoy the fruits of this great accomplishment, but not for very long. The many opportunities the new facility provides us with also require effort on the part of the congregation. Although construction ends, the work of the FF&I committee continues—new chairs have just arrived, a shed for their storage is on the way, and audio equipment for the social hall and sanctuary will arrive shortly

Now that we have a social hall we have to deal with new issues or revise old policies. For example, what do we charge members for the use of the facility? What about non-members? How do we supervise the use of our very expensive audio equipment? How do we handle clean up? How do we supervise kitchen use? These are just a few of the questions we need to ask. People willing to help are always welcome, appreciated, and respected. So, whether you are a new member who doesn’t really know many people, or a long-time member who wants to get involved, this is a great chance

The social hall will be used for all of the obvious things: Religious School, High Holidays, new member dinners, and B’nai Mitzvah . But the level of enrichment the facility can provide for Sinai and the larger community is great. We have already had a lecture by a major scientist and a hilariously funny stand-up routine by a rabbi. But this is only the beginning. The social hall might provide a place to present plays, community discussions on important issues, film screenings and discussions, and ecumenical dialogues. However, we have to think deeply about the role of the social hall and then plan events carefully. The thoughts and concerns of Temple Sinai members about the uses for the space are important. Planning and pulling off these events will take work