Jewish Community Center Breaks Ground On Multi-Million Dollar Expansion

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City is nearing its $11.5 million goal for a major expansion of its facilities. To date, $10.35 million has been raised, which includes a matching gift from Michael Staenberg, a St. Louis philanthropist and J advocate. Staenberg initially gave $1.8 million to the Kansas City J's capital campaign with the promise to donate an additional $1.2 million, once $9.3 million had been raised from the community.

"We are much further along with our campaign than we expected to be at this point and we are thrilled to be so close to qualifying for this important milestone match," said Jim Sluyter, The J's President and CEO.

The public portion of the capital campaign is continuing toward the $11.5 goal of which $9.5 million will cover construction and fixtures costs and $2 million will go into an endowment to fund annual operations and maintenance. The J's Capital Campaign - called Imagine The J - is led by Chair Scott Slabotsky with Howard T Jacobson serving as honorary chair. They are working closely with Sluyter, Cindy Bodker, The J's Development Director; and Diane Azorsky, campaign consultant and vice-chair for leadership development of The J's board of directors.

The 32,000-square-foot expansion will be located in what is now green space on the west side of the Jewish Community Campus between The White Theatre wing and the Fitness and Sports facility. It will include a new entrance to The J's Fitness and Sports facilities, a new gymnasium, an indoor turf field, an additional art room, renovated Fitness Zone and babysitting area, dedicated dance studios and a yoga studio to mention just a few items. All will allow for expansion of youth and adult recreation and fitness options. More parking spaces will be added as part of the expansion. By meeting the fund-raising goal, The J will be able to expand its original plans to include outdoor pool amenities.

Construction on the Staenberg Family Recreation Complex is scheduled to begin some time this fall. The project is expected to take 12 months to complete with the hope of opening the new addition in late 2020. A groundbreaking ceremony for capital campaign donors has been scheduled prior to the High Holidays and will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The first phase of construction will include removing several tennis courts to add parking spaces for the facility, moving members closer to the new entrance.

The design and construction of the expansion are being done by two local firms: Davidson Architecture + Engineering (DA+E) and contractor MONARCH. Dave Roesler is The J's volunteer owner representative with over 42 years of experience managing construction projects for Hallmark. Roesler is working very closely with both companies and is donating his time and expertise to The J's expansion.

The Staenberg Family Recreation Complex will be the second major expansion at the Campus since it originally opened in 1988. Back in 2005, The White Theatre Wing was added including the Lewis and Shirley White Theatre and The J's Heritage Center. Smaller renovations have taken place but nothing that increased the footprint of the facility.

Sluyter said The J expansion has been driven by growth in both membership, the majority of which are families, and the increase in J programming to meet members' requests. Membership is up 47 percent since 2007, when The J last renovated its Fitness and Sports facility. The J has experienced exponential growth in its basketball and baseball programs, due in part to the recently renovated baseball fields. With a new gymnasium and its indoor turf area, the expansion will allow for new programs at The J including pickleball, volleyball and futsal, and would accommodate increased growth in programs like The J's award-winning Camp program.

The J isn't the only organization that will benefit from expanded space and the enhancements that come with it. Campus tenants, including the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, will have access to the new space and it will be available for communitywide programs and gatherings.

Information regarding the fundraising campaign and construction of the Family Recreation Center can be found at ImaginetheJKC.org.