LETTERS

HOT TOPIC

presented by

Coverage
In Question

I recently flew in from Pasadena to visit
my parents in Florida. They have their
Jewish News forwarded and it was sec-
ond nature for me to pick up the Jan.
30 issue and catch up with news from
the community back in Detroit.
I had commented to my mother
how frustrating it was to live in greater
Los Angeles and for there not to be
anything comparable to the JN — a
paper connecting and informing and
uniting the Jewish community.
How ironic then, how quickly I
swallowed that praise when I encoun-
tered Beth Lee Segal's "The Ready
Made Husband." Her tips on snagging
a divorced man as "the answer to all
your romance worries" was something
better suited to the back pages of the
National Enquirer than The Jewish
News. In one fell swoop, she demeaned
divorced couples and singles alike.
Barbara Rosens
Pasadena, Calif.

The JCC
And Renovation

In last week's edition, you published a
letter from some JCC Health Club
members regarding the future of squash
and racquetball courts at the Kahn
(Maple/Drake) building ("Renovation
Plans Are Upsetting" Feb. 20).
Over the past few years, there have
been many reports about declining
membership at the JCC. The leader-
ship of the Center committed itself to
reversing this trend and embarked on a
strategic study which analyzed and
reviewed each component of the Cen-
ter.
The Center has implemented many
of the suggestions raised by this study
and has made substantial changes to
the Health Club and general member-
ship facilities, including an overwhelm-
ing influx of new equipment such as
new treadmills, stairmasters, EFX
machines and weight machines (plus,
beginning in March, spinning), in
addition to modification of manage-
ment structure and renewed emphasis
on customer service.
The response to these efforts has
been very positive and has resulted in a
dramatic shift in the trend of member-
ship at the Center, which can now boast
of having over 20,000 members, the
highest membership level in almost 10
years. Over 1,000 new members joined
during the last two membership cam-

paigns and many of these members
were brought in by long-term members.
The JCC is now embarking on
Phase II of its renovation. For the past
two years, the leadership of the Center
and the Phase II Renovation Commit-
tee have been working with Rosetti and
Associates Architects to create a plan
that effectively utilizes the current space
most effectively and efficiently not only
for the current needs of the community
but also for the next 25 years.
The plans call for major renovations
that will substantially improve the
Maple/Drake facility. It is anticipated
that the Center will soon be engaging
in a $25 million capital campaign,
which will provide funds to renovate
this facility and provide endowment
funds to support necessary programs
and services.
The Phase II Renovation Commit-
tee and its associated professionals
examined the utilization, quality (or
lack thereof) and future viability of
each square foot of the Maple/Drake
facility.
The 12,670 square feet of racquet
courts were closely examined and it was
determined that usage of these courts
has significantly reduced over the last
decade. Even those who are disappoint-
ed about losing these courts have
acknowledged that while there are
some times when the racquet courts at
the JCC see substantial use, these
courts are consistently underutilized.
Other local health clubs have experi-
enced a similar decline in usage and
have reduced the number of courts in
their facilities.
The Center is attempting to make
the transition as smooth as possible and
has already met with a group of 25
member/players and intends to contin-
ue to meet with other member/players
to determine the best ways for the
remaining courts to be used.
It is important to note that the area
made available by the reduction of
courts will be put to excellent use. The
additional square footage made avail-
able will result in increased fitness facil-
ities, improved accessibility and conve-
nient entrances while allowing for
growth in major program areas.
Change is often viewed differently
depending upon the personal impact of
the change. The renovation contem-
plated by the Center is overwhelmingly
responsive to the community's current
and future needs and will allow the
JCC to fulfill its obligations responsi-
bly.
Cliff Dovitz, Lynn Lederman
Co-chairs, JCC Health Club Committee

The Jewish Community Center,
The Detroit Jewish News and
The ADL, Michigan Region

KEEPING WATCH
AND TAKING ACTION

ABRAHAM H.
FOXMAN

NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE

Thursday, March 5, 1998 • 7:30 p.m.
D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
West Bloomfield JCC

A Status Report on:
• Anti-Semitism
• Pluralism
• Church/State Separation
• The Mid-East Peace Process

There is no charge for this program.
Refreshments will be served.

Call (248) 661-7649 or (248) 355-3730
for reservations and information.

PRESENTED BY:

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

JN

2/27
1998

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