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We will be able to use the renovated house for our Hebrew school
classes, regular Shabbat services, adult education classes, meetings,
and other programs, although it will not serve our needs for large
gatherings such as High Holy Day services and b’nai mitzvah.
Once we have moved into our own home on our own property, we will
continue to work toward building the beautiful new synagogue that
Michael Singer designed.
In order to use the Greenleaf Street house as our synagogue, we
need to do the following:
• Obtain the necessary state and local permits
• Complete repairs inside the house
• Complete site work outside the house
• Raise the money to do the work
Permiting
Various permits are required from the state and local authorities.
This fall we applied for and received the local permits from the
Brattleboro Design Review Board. One of the Town permits is in the
process of receiving final approval. We have now successfully obtained
the Change of Use permit (this lets us use the building as a synagogue,
instead of as a residence) and our application passed the Local
Act 250 Review. We are now applying for the state Act 250 permit.
Repairs Inside the House
In order to make the house safe for our children and to conform
to state and local fire, life safety, and handicaped accessibility
regulations, we need to complete certain repairs to the house. These
repairs include installing a sprinkler system, installing a ramp
for wheelchair accessibility, renovating the downstairs bathroom
to make it handicaped accessible, and other work of this nature.
The estimated cost of completing these repairs is $50,000.
Outside Site Work
When we received our local permits, certain outside work was required
by the authorities. The town needs to make sure that the property
is accessible to fire trucks, that cars can enter and exit the property
safely, without posing a hazard to drivers on Greenleaf Street,
that adequate parking is available, and that the character of the
neighborhood is maintained. Therefore, we will need to put in a
curb cut, create parking spaces (unpaved), put up exterior lighting
conforming to the town’s specifications, and do some landscaping.
It is important to note that most of this site work would need to
be done for the new synagogue as well – that is, if we had
a million dollars in hand and were immediately proceeding with the
building that Michael Singer designed, we would still be doing this
site work, at an estimated cost of $80,000.
Fundraising
As of the latest tally, we have raised $58,000 for house renovations
and outside site work. This includes an extremely generous $25,000
matching donation from Joe and Marcia Rosen. While $58,000 is a
sizeable sum, you can see that it will not be enough to cover the
costs of the needed repairs and site work. We have been dreaming
of a home of our own for so long – and we finally may be in
a position to turn that dream into a reality if we can raise the
rest of the money we need. We would be able to complete the work
this spring and summer and move in to our own home in the fall of
2004. Just imagine – having adequate classroom space for Hebrew
school (no more classes meeting in the hall!), having our children’s
art work hanging on the walls, being able to schedule celebrations,
concerts, lectures, and social gatherings as needed, rather than
subject to the limitations of our contract with the West Village
Meeting House – just imagine actually having a home of our
own! I know that these are difficult economic times, and many of
us are struggling to make ends meet but, if we join together, I
am sure that we can turn our dreams into reality.
B’shalom,
Rachel
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