VJCC Facility Expansion |
By John Ikegami
For nearly five years, scheduling conflicts and unique club needs for the facility have been the concerns of the Board. Three years ago, the Board commissioned the Master Plan Committee to address the specifics and to develop a master plan for the Center. Upon consulting with the clubs and organizations, the Master Plan Committee identified specific facility limitations as well as potential solutions. Organizations such as Boy Scouts, Venice Youth Council, Hula Group and Pioneer Club, as well as Taiko and other musical groups, have been running into conflicts on facility use for their events and practice time. Growth of membership by 10% in recent years is also contributing to the additional need for space. The existing conference room is not large enough to accommodate either the senior group events or the Pioneer Club functions.
Our near-term solution to expand the conference room (Room 9) will take place over the next few months to address the immediate meeting room space issue. For the longer-term solution, the Committee has been working with Lewis and Schoeplein, an architectural firm, which has resulted in the renderings of an expansion concept that you see displayed in the lobby. The envisioned expansion will add a multipurpose hall nearly half the size of our gym. It will be designed with sound proofing, temperature control, high ceiling and room partitioning for optimal use. The Board has commissioned Kaku Associates to help us through the initial city permit phase by conducting the parking lot use study. The parking lot use study will help us develop the required information for the envisioned expansion. In the coming months, we will be reporting on the progress of the city permit process.
Content goes here.
Visions for the VJCC
By Gail Sharp
 |
Alyson Yamaguchi has been part of the VJCC family for over 10 years as a member of the VYC team, the Venice Rockets. She has also been one of the many contributing writers for the VJCC Community News, co-authoring “Japanese Dance at the VJCC” in September 2003. Alyson is a high school senior at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies. When posed with the question of what people her age can do for the VJCC, she suggested becoming a youth coach or assistant with the VYC Sure Shot program, as it is both fun and rewarding to be able to give back to the community in this way. She says joining any of the martial arts classes or Boy Scouts is also a good way to enjoy time at the VJCC and get involved with programs that contribute back to the Center. |
Once she is off to college, Alyson considers the Annual VJCC Festival the big event that will always bring her back to the Center. It is one place where you know you will run into all of your friends.