Temple Sinai is a "live shul," a synagogue community always growing, always evolving, full of caring and full of ruach. In Spring 2008 we intend to break ground on our new expansion project that will make a reality of our vision of Sinai's Future. From the basis of our historic sanctuary and Stern Hall, we will build an expanded campus that will be the physical foundation for the coming decades of the 21st century Temple Sinai.
- Arnie Brown, Temple President
A Capital Campaign Committee was established to oversee fundraising for the Expansion Project. This committee worked with our fundraising consultant to manage our fundraising efforts: conducting a feasibility study, meeting with major donors, training lay leaders to educate the congregation about the campaign and make solicitations, and keeping the campaign focused and organized.
Additionally, a Facilities Committee was created to oversee the hiring of an architect and the process of designing the building. Working with the architects, this committee conducted interviews with staff and Temple leaders to better understand our programming needs for a new facility. They met with the Clergy, Executive Director, Preschool, Education Department, Midrasha program, Youth Program Director, office staff, and custodians. Interviews were also conducted with various committee leaders and constituency groups such as the Ritual Committee, Access Committee, Brotherhood, Sisterhood, etc. A congregational meeting and special email address (ourfuture@oaklandsinai.org) was set up to further garner input from Temple members. The Facilities Committee then condensed all the information from these interviews and created a prioritized “wish list” to assist the architects in the design process. A series of schematic drawings have been created, reviewed, and reworked over time and based on budget considerations.
The Facilities Committee has overseen a variety of initial studies needed in preparation for construction including surveyor work, traffic and parking studies, a historic resource evaluation, and an environmental site assessment. The facilities committee also hired a Project Manager, the Ed Van Company, to shepherd the details of the construction process including cost estimations, permits, and the oversight of contractors.
Another important development in this project was the purchase of 2820 Summit Street. This was a critical step that enabled us to expand our property and construct one large, unified building.
An Expansion Steering Committee (ESC) ensures the coordination of the project across three major areas: facilities development, fund-raising, and financial management. This committee serves as an oversight and decision making body, meeting regularly and working with the Executive Committee when board input is needed or when board decisions need to be made.
