Lawrence JCC decides to renovate

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The members of the Lawrence Jewish Community Center decided Sunday to embark on a fundraising campaign of up to $2 million to renovate its building at 917 Highland Drive.

President David Berkowitz led a discussion of several options Sunday, ranging from doing nothing to selling the building and starting over in a new location. Berkowitz said Monday that members decided to take a middle path — raise up to $2 million to extensively renovate the building to be better looking, more useful and, most importantly, handicap-accessible.

“We decided to begin a fund drive with the idea to raise enough to do a major renovation of the building,” said Berkowitz, an attorney.

The JCC — built in two stages 50 and 30 years ago — is near the busy commercial intersection of Ninth and Iowa streets, and the land is zoned for multi-family residential use. So a 24-unit apartment building could easily be erected in its place.

Berkowitz said JCC leaders sought the opinions of some local real estate brokers as to the ultimate value of the land — the JCC owns it free and clear — should members decide to sell. Those numbers were discussed Sunday. But Berkowitz said with the depressed economy, now is not an opportune time to maximize the land’s value. Thus, the decision was made to renovate.

An architectural consultant presented plans at the meeting Sunday, outlining the range of renovation options. The congregation chose the most extensive option, which includes the installation of an elevator and other additions.

Berkowitz said the JCC, which has 134 adult members, would probably borrow part of the money needed renovate, in effect taking out a mortgage on the building, and raise the rest.

JCC is something of a misnomer, as the Lawrence group acts more like a small-town synagogue than a big-city community center. It was founded in 1954. Its mission statement is “To be an inclusive and thriving center of Jewish spiritual, cultural and social life for the Lawrence area.” It offers Shabbat services — Reform, Conservative or Reconstructionist style, depending on the lay leader — and a religious school. It owns B’nai Israel Cemetery in Eudora, Kan. At times, over the years, it has employed a part-time rabbi, but the most recent of those, Rabbi Linda Steigman, has not been replaced since she left in June.

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