NEWSLETTER CONTENTS
Chronicles SPRING 2014
Letter from the President ...................................1 Jewish Federation Plaza Renovations .................1 Letter from the CEO ...........................................2 JCHC Welcomes Marlene Glass ..........................2 Lifelong Learning through JCHC University ........2 B’nai B’rith Introduces “The Lunch Bunch” .........2 Community-Wide Storm Chaser Programs..........3 Your Donation Makes a Difference .....................3 Lester is the Go-To Seminar Spot........................4 Coming soon to a computer near you!................4 “Gentle Scents” Aromatherapy Program ............4 Village Celebrates Silver Anniversary! ................5 Tributes ...............................................................6
JEWISH COMMUNITY HOUSING CORPORATION OF METROPOLITAN NEW JERSEY 760 Northfield Ave., West Orange, NJ 07052 | 973-731-2020 | www.jchcorp.org
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT As a child growing up in New Jersey, I welcomed the snow that annually blanketed my neighborhood. Winter was supposed to have snow-covered roads and trees—and snow days so I didn’t have to go to school. When I traveled during the winter to places with no visual cues that it was December, January, February, or March I always felt like something was off. I could never quite get comfortable with “winter” in Austin, Texas or New Orleans, Louisiana, where I spent several years. Even now, traveling to my in-laws’ home in Atlanta, Georgia in the wintertime seems odd; the trees still have leaves on them and it never seems like it’s truly cold enough to be winter. But as a person entrenched in residential real estate both personally and professionally, I no longer welcome the Northeast winters and the inevitable snow they bring. Residential apartment buildings must deal with many unique issues in the cold weather months that require extra manpower and careful oversight to prevent any immediate or ongoing problems.
Jewish Federation Plaza Renovations Bring New Life to Community Spaces Extensive renovations at our Jewish Federation Plaza apartment building in West Orange have been completed. Several areas on the first floor of Building 4 were remodeled and to provide more space for our seniors to dine and socialize! Architect Eli Goldstein, AIA, PP, LEED AP, Managing Partner of The Goldstein Partnership with offices in Maplewood, and general contractor Vericon Construction with offices in Mountainside were selected for this project. The renovations, which began in midSeptember, encompass: • Expanding and remodeling the dining room to seat up to 120 people; • Improving our commercial kitchen with new equipment, including walk-in refrigerator and freezer, and meeting new code requirements; • Adding a concierge station at the entrance in a beautiful new lobby; and, • Building new administration offices.
Snow and ice are the most visible and obvious concerns. Our JCHC communities have sidewalks, parking lots, and driveways that must be clear to allow family, friends, and medical personnel access to the properties and surrounding roads. Our staff doesn’t get snow days when the white stuff starts falling from the sky. In fact, many times they have to work overtime because the snow is not nice enough to start and stop falling during business hours. Regardless of the day or time, JCHC staff members are always working to make sure people can safely access our property and buildings.
In addition to Jewish Federation Plaza project funds from this HUDsubsidized property, the first-floor renovation project has received generous support from the Township of West Orange. The Township provided approximately $200,000 so that we could implement kitchen upgrades. We gratefully acknowledge and extend our sincere thanks to Mayor Robert Parisi, all of the members of the West Orange Municipal Council as well as Business Administrator Jack Sayers and CFO John Gross for making this a reality and promoting the best interest of our seniors.
Even without snow, the cold weather requires constant vigilance. Pipes can freeze and burst causing extensive damage to the section of the building they are in. In fact, a pipe recently burst at Lester Senior Housing Community that damaged the independent living dining room and the adjacent bistro. Our staff immediately addressed the issue and has already restored those spaces for our residents. More important than restoring those spaces, however, is the process JCHC staff underwent in the immediate aftermath. Our staff reviewed the conditions that led to that rupture and inventoried the rest of the building to make sure that condition didn’t exist anywhere else.
Furthermore, support from the Dorothy Lazarus Fund for the Hearing Impaired was essential to installing a new state-of-the-art “hearing loop” system in the community dining room. The hearing loop ties into the audio system and permits residents using assistive devices such as hearing aids to hear what is said much more clearly. We also thank the Kalkin family for establishing this endowment and the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest for administering it.
Heat is always an issue during the colder months, especially with our senior residents. Apartments and common areas must be warm enough for all of our residents to be healthy, safe, and comfortable at all times. We must constantly monitor our central heating systems to make sure not only that they are working at one particular moment, but that they operate properly during the evening and nighttime hours when it is coldest outside.
During the time it took to complete the project, JCHC staff worked hard to minimize the disruption for our residents during the renovations. Wait staff delivered evening meals to each resident in their apartment. We used the fourth floor promenade to everyone’s benefit, with an elegant dessert for residents there twice a month. It was also the location for Plaza’s Thanksgiving Eve dinner and we set up a special Thanksgiving coffee bar in the multipurpose room.
Unfortunately, sometimes even the best preparation and ongoing operations cannot parry the weather’s advances. Irene and Sandy are two all-too-recent examples. The extreme snow that Irene brought and the loss of power Sandy caused required JCHC staff to act reactively rather than proactively. But even with those extreme events, our buildings fared quite well and our residents stayed as safe and comfortable as we could manage. The point of all of this is that the JCHC communities cannot operate without our staff. From the foodservice team to our building managers and administrators to our executives, JCHC staff takes on all sorts of roles throughout the year, but especially during the colder months. We all owe a special thank you to each staff member that shows up on a snowy or freezing cold day to make sure that Mother Nature affects the building in which they work as minimally as possible. So to all of our staff, thank you. And stay warm this winter. Jay Murnick President, Board of Trustees
Terrence Roselle, Regional Facilities Director provided on-site coordination with the construction crew and was very pleased with the working relationship of all parties. “The contractor and architect were accessible and open to working with us on every detail of design and construction,” said Terrence. “The progress of this project was been a team effort that resulted in a beautiful new community space for the residents to enjoy.” Site Manager Freyda Pineles notes that both residents and staff are excited about the building enhancements. “This creates a wonderful atmosphere for community life and the ambiance in our new dining room will enhance the meal experience for everyone.” The results are in: On the grand re-opening of the dining room, the residents enjoyed a beautiful meal in the new dining room.