The Jewish community center has marked Jan. 31 as the official groundbreaking day and will consist of morning family activities, including spray painting and chalking in designated areas that will be part of the expansion’s teardown. The formal ceremony will start at 2 p.m. and will be livestreamed for those who will be remote.
The $50 million expansion and renovation project was first announced in February, according to the Dec. 17 Jewish community center announcement. Construction will consist of a new 126,000 square-foot, three-story facility, with 27,000 square feet of renovations to the existing center.
Also included in the project is the demolition of the Velva G and H. Fred Levine Jewish Federation Building—located on the ERJCC property—to make way for a new building for the Jewish Federation that will be built on the north end of the community center property on the old building’s existing footprint.
The community center determined the groundbreaking date after reaching $42.5 million with the fundraising campaign, according to the announcement.
Construction is expected to take two years.
