JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

Expansion goes back to center stage.

Board declines
$5 million gift
in favor of staying
at Middlebelt site.

14

fter months of study and weeks of deliberation, cal component of what the board used during de-
the board of Hillel Day School decided to stay liberations.
"We took very seriously parent letters and phone
at the Middlebelt campus and proceed with ex-
calls, both those in favor of moving and those in fa-
pansion plans.
The board turned down a $5 million dona- vor of staying at the Middlebelt site," he said. "In
tion by Oakland Mall developer Jay Kogan, the final analysis, the issue became academic and
the largest donation ever proposed to a Jew- we chose to proceed with our present plans."
ish institution in metropolitan Detroit. The
Allan Nachman, a member of the Hillel board,
gift carried a single stipulation that the school said he was impressed with
move to land owned by Jewish Federation the way the board worked to
and United Jewish Foundation on the Jew- come to this conclusion.
"I think what the Hillel
ish Community Campus at Maple and
Drake roads.
board and task force went
At a meeting held in executive session through was one of the most
Tuesday night, the board voted unani- soul-searching efforts I have
mously to go ahead with $11 million expansion ever seen," he said.
and renovation plans at its present site, adding
One person who is happy
28,000 square feet onto the existing structure and that the school will remain
funneling $3 million to the school's endowment at Middlebelt and North-
western Highway is Rabbi
fund.
A statement from the board of directors said David Nelson of Congrega-
the decision was "consistent with the delibera- tion Beth Shalom in Oak
tions of the board" and made because "the Maple- Park. He recently gave two
Drake site may not be made available within the sermons and wrote letters
time frame contemplated by the board of direc- to board members encouraging them to vote
tors."
against a move.
"The decision to remain at the present location
United Jewish Foundation President Michael
Maddin said Hillel had not formally applied for is in the best interest of everyone," Rabbi Nelson
community approval for using the land on the said. "I am very, very pleased that they responded
Jewish Community Campus. In addition, time re- to the overwhelming majority of parents and grad-
quired for site approval by the West Bloomfield uates who were very disconcerted and nervous that
Planning Commission may not have been done the future of the school was in jeopardy."
by mid-June in conjunction with the school's con-
He also encouraged Mr. Kogan to continue to
struction plans, Mr. Maddin said.
donate to the school.
"These things take time," he said.
"It would do a lot of good for Jewish education,"
Hillel board members spent many hours in re- he said.
cent weeks going over the findings of a board-ap-
A fund-raising committee met early Wednes-
pointed task force which studied move-related day to go ahead with the capital campaign for the
issues, including transportation concerns, the im- expansion costs.
pact a move would have on education, the feelings
"The capital campaign has been re-energized,"•
of parents and the cost of constructing a new fa- Mr. Schostak said. "We must reach the $8 million
cility. Meetings frequently stretched into early goal for hard and soft costs of building prior to the
morning hours.
groundbreaking."
Robert Schostak, president of Hillel, said, "The
The school is anticipating construction bids for
work of the task force was critical in prioritizing the expansion this month. Groundbreaking will
the Hillel agenda on this matter and was a criti- take place in mid-June. ❑

