“We have a few people who’ve been wandering around the [Harry & Rose Samson Family] JCC for 13 years,” quipped Jane Gellman last week, “and they’re still trying to find their way out.”
That’s because the building was never designed as a Jewish community center. Recognizing that, and the fact that the building’s size does not permit improving the quality of services offered, the JCC board announced last week its decision to renovate and expand the existing facility on the Karl Jewish Community Campus in Whitefish Bay rather than continue efforts to develop a satellite center in Mequon.
Preliminary plans for the Federation/JCC “Vision of the Future,” a partnership between the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and the JCC, were presented to the federation board on March 27 by Gellman and Phillip Katz, who represented Kahler Slater Architects, Inc., the firm hired by the JCC to reconfigure the site. The MJF board is expected to approve the plan at its May meeting.
According to Gellman, who is JCC board president, “We are very excited about the plans to make the JCC a first-class facility so that we can continue to provide quality services and remain competitive with other facilities in the community. Renovations will allow us to expand our educational, recreational and cultural activities.
“We have outgrown our building and are facing increased competition from other facilities and therefore decreasing membership. We view the project as a necessity, not a luxury. To provide outstanding programs, we have to have outstanding facilities. And we are committed to reinforcing the centrality of the Jewish community on the Karl Campus.”
For the past two years the center has explored an expansion in Mequon. However, the board has now decided to focus improvement efforts at the current site on Santa Monica Blvd.
Jay Roth, JCC executive vice president, said, “We are proceeding as part of a strong collaborative effort with the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. For the time being, we will continue to hold onto the land in Mequon.”
He added, “The center is still a viable facility, but we feel we are operating with one hand tied behind our back. We feel the entire community will benefit by what we’re proposing. And we think the partnership with the federation will make things proceed more quickly in that we can combine the resources and talents of two institutions to make this happen. The federation recognizes the urgency for the JCC to expand and has been very supportive in taking this project to heart.”
Original plans called for a satellite campus to be built in Mequon in conjunction with the Jewish Home and Care Center on 74 acres just south of Mequon Rd. and west of Port Washington Rd. While applauding the concept, Mequon officials rejected the plans due to projected increases in traffic.
Now, according to Nita Corré, president of the JHCC, the JHCC board is prepared to go ahead with its portion of the project on its own. “At this time we are working on an agreement with the JCC to take a portion of the land we purchased together to build a satellite home and care center.
“Once we refine the agreement with the JCC, we will hire a local architect and begin once again the process of gaining zoning approval with the City of Mequon.”
Family enhancements
Community leaders and a team of professionals have begun preliminary discussions of the JCC expansion with the Village of Whitefish Bay and have taken village officials on tours of the existing campus to help them assess the need for growth. Neighbors have also been invited to tour the facility and view the design.
“Our vision is to provide enhancements on the entire campus that will enable families to do more things on the campus as a whole,” said Stephen Chernof, chair of the Karl Campus Development and Steering Committee. He added, “The project will enhance the delivery of services by all agencies on the campus. It is critical to ensure the vibrancy of the Jewish community for the next generation.”
Chernof added, “This project is part of a significant capital campaign that will address the overall capital needs facing our Jewish community. As part of our professional team, we’ve hired Michael Ostroff, president of Waters, Pelton, Ostroff & Associates, Inc., of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., to conduct a fund-raising feasibility study. He will meet with some 60 members of the community to ascertain how they view our community’s future.”
Current usable space at the JCC is 77,000 square feet which the JCC hopes to increase to 120,000 square feet. Officials project that a state-of-the-art facility will boost membership from 2,700 units to 3,500 units.
Schematics for the JCC would change the floor plan to create a new central entrance and lobby on the west side of the building with improved traffic flow, parking and access to adult and childcare services.
Specific details include a new double-story indoor playground, a family locker area, a community hall that would accommodate 400, expanded fitness centers, remodeling of the Ritz Theater and new classrooms for both adult education and child care services. Also, a kosher cafe with expanded kitchen services is featured.
Gellman added, “The reconfiguration will free up space for new family and youth centers. Also, a lobby area will provide a place for people to meet and schmooze. We are exploring the possibility of an outdoor swimming pool and picnic area adjacent to the existing indoor pool.”
“We intend to move as quickly as possible,” Roth said, “to ensure the center’s ability to meet the needs of the community. We need to make a formal request to the Village of Whitefish Bay and hope to begin that process this spring. We’d like to have a shovel in the ground next April. The JCC means so much to the community in terms of scope of services. Our goal is to improve the layout and expand our program space.”
Allen Samson, MJF president, noted that the last time the community undertook a project of this magnitude was in the 1980s when MJF purchased the Karl Campus.
“A number of our agencies are in need of preparing their infrastructures for the next generation. We need to continue to improve our programs by updating and expanding community facilities. The federation will coordinate a needs assessment with its constituent agencies for the next 25 years. Not only do these projects need financial support, they need thoughtful planning.”
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