Jain Center Los Angeles CA 2008 09 Pratishta Souvenior

Author(s): Jain Center So CA Los Angeles
Publisher: USA Jain Center Southern California

Page 64

Nitin Shah
Jain Center Expansion Challenges
Following the inauguration of the first Jain Bhavan in July 1988, the population of the Jain families in Southern California began to grow rapidly. With a challenge to accommodate the future needs of such families, the Jain Center of Southern California (JCSC) began to acquire four additional neighborhood properties. This phenomenal growth of JCSC raised various challenges.
The first challenge was to develop an expansion plan with one major goal - to stay as one unified organization while accommodating the needs of all Jains. A survey of the community members indicated the following needs:
(a) Accommodate the needs of all Jains
(b) Add more idols of Tirthankars and historically significant Acharyas/Scholars
(c) Have idols of Tirthankars in the Derasar and accommodate all Deities in Aradhna Hall
(d) Have a larger auditorium
(e) Have more classrooms for Pathshala
(f) Have larger kitchen and dining facilities
Based on these requirements and several additional deliberations, an architectural plan was developed in 1995 and presented to the community. In late 1999, a memorandum submitted to the Board of Directors requested to modify the plan to include Digambar and Simandhar idols, a separate Sthanak, and a Gyan Mandir.
A seven-member committee appointed by the Board of Directors to review such requests and resolve any community concerns, presented their recommendations in March 2000. Following several meetings to give community members an opportunity to express their wishes and ideas, the Board of Directors appointed a three-member committee to propose an amicable solution. A mail-in survey conducted by the committee provided additional opportunities for the community members to express their opinions regarding the expansion plan. The committee presented their recommendations to Board of Directors in October 2000.
A general body meeting held in December 2000 passed a resolution to support a proposed expansion plan with the following provision:
(a) Have only idols of Tirthankars in the Derasar and accommodate all Deities in Aradhna Hall
(b) Use Aradhna Hall for religious and spiritual purposes only
(c) Build a Cultural Complex with an auditorium for cultural events and classrooms for Pathshala (d) Develop an Atma Sadhna Kendra to accommodate the JAINA library and study rooms
The deliberation process allowed members to express their concerns, discuss the differences and find a mutually acceptable solution. The process was a good demonstration of Anekantvad-a mutual respect for multiplicity of views.
Additional concerns raised by the community members and past leaders included:
Q: Why do we need a large expansion?
A: The Jain community had grown from 250 families in 1986 to 825 families in 2002. The Temple, the assembly hall, Pathshala, and parking were inadequate.
Q: Why is the cost so high?
A: Expansion from an 11,500 square foot facility to a large 62,000 square foot facility would accommodate immediate and future community needs. The cost of construction almost doubled from 1995 to 2002.
Q: Can the project be built in phases as donations come in?
A: Construction costs continued to rise and the support of City of Buena Park would be compromised with longer delays.
I am looking forward to being a part of the JCYC Committee. Being on the Committee will let me give back to the community. Shivani Jain, 10