Referring to yesterday's entry, Megan showed me a piece of property that's for sale. She saw a flyer on it, but doesn't remember who's offering the property. Said something about sweat equity. I'm no good at estimating size, but Megan thinks it takes up maybe a quarter of a block. It's three stories high.
This building dates to 1910, and has an IOOF logo on it. The second story has no glass in the windows. I wasn't able to see inside, so I have no idea the condition of the walls, floors or ceiling. My feeling is that it would take a ton of money and gallons and buckets of sweat to get it livable.
However, the size of the place would allow for an office, a synagogue with a meeting/conference/dining room, and a kitchen on the first floor. The other two floors could be made into living quarters, and I figure two large apartments on each floor.
Each family would have to have an independent source of income for probably, at least, a year, a line of credit for building supplies, and a supply of kosher canned/bagged food, as kosher is in short supply. Meat? We'd probably have to be vegetarians.
There is one Chabad house here, and it's a 20-minute drive from here. Even so, the rabbi and congregation could be welcoming a Chabad of Yacolt.
But where would I find the ten families? That's the absolute minimum for a minyan at religious services. Ten men, Torah observant men. Is it wishful thinking? Or could there be ten families who would like to start from scratch in a small town in southwest Washington?
I could live in Yacolt and drive to Orchards where Chabad of Clark County meets for Shabbat service, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do that. However, I see several cars parked outside the shul, so I'm guessing most of the congregation doesn't live nearby. Well, that's a road I'll take if I absolutely have to. But with "my very own" shul right here in Yacolt, that's a road I won't have to take.
What started as wishful thinking seems to be turning into a plan.
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And I feel like I'm being pushed in a direction I'm not sure I'm quite ready for. Megan called a local realtor and got information on the price and owner of the building in question.