The Building Connections campaign for the temple expansion has entered a new phase. In December, Robert Weinstein and Judith Capen, our member/architects, submitted the construction plans to the District Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. They estimate that the review process will take several months. At the same time, our contractor, Uniwest, is receiving bids from subcontractors on the various components of the project, ranging from electrical and plumbing to floor installations.

As I have written earlier, the first rough cost estimates for the expansion far exceeded our budget. We are hoping the bids, based on newer and more detailed design documents, will be lower. Once we receive those bids, the Building Committee, working with the architects and contractor, will analyze the options and provide recommendations to the Board of Directors on how to proceed. The Building Committee and the board are committed to making decisions that will enable us to build as much of our original plan as possible within responsible financial constraints.

If the construction bids do exceed our budget, there are likely to be four general options available to us. First, we could scale back the plans and not build one or more components of the expansion. Second, we could modify the plans, building the same components, but using less costly materials or omitting certain details. Third, we could defer finishing portions of the expansion. Many of us recall living with a cement floor in the sanctuary for the first few years we occupied the current building. And finally, we could raise additional funds. These options are not mutually exclusive; indeed, most likely we will end up with a package comprised of various options.

In short, there are a lot of moving parts and options under consideration by the Building Committee and the board. Our goal is still to begin construction in late spring, and hopefully the District permitting process will move quickly enough to allow us to keep to that schedule.

General financial management is another focus of board attention. At our January meeting, the board voted to accept the recommendation of the Finance Committee that we change how we manage our operating cash flow. At any given time, we have more cash on hand than we need to cover immediate expenses. This is partly the result of running a modest surplus in years past, and the fact that most dues are paid at the beginning of each year. Up to now, all the cash flow has been kept in liquid money market funds. The Finance Committee has recommended that a small portion (0 to 30 percent) of that cash flow now be invested in longer-term, higher yield investments.

The Finance Committee is comprised of treasurer, myself, three other Board members, as well as four temple members, two of whom are investment professionals and are handling the fund selection and other technical components of the investment plan. The board accepted the committee's recommendation that new investments be limited to mutual funds rather than individual stocks and, further, that we diversify the fund investments to minimize risk. The board has asked the Finance Committee to provide investment options that are socially responsible, in keeping with our overall commitment to social justice, environmental sensitivity and support for Israel. Our approach will be cautious. This won't make us rich, but it will generate some extra money for the temple.

And lest you think that we are all business and no fun, I am challenging board members to polish their bowling balls and work on their alley skills to keep those balls out of the gutter. "Bowling Together," a delightfully inclusive and creative way to bring us all together, is scheduled for Feb. 4. I hope to see many of you there.