Building Renovation Exploration Committee

Building Space For The Future 

The Milwaukee Shambhala community, begun some 40 years ago in the living room of David Shapiro and Jane Hawes, has occupied the building on Oakland Avenue since the mid-1990s.  The last major renovations done to the building were in 2001–2002 when the downstairs was made into usable space.

In recent years, various members have expressed interest in how our building’s space might be used differently to accommodate both existing and new activities and to be more supportive of the turn toward greater social engagement that has become a key element of Shambhala Centers over the last several years.

Erik Hancock, an architect who specializes in working with non-profit organizations is working with us during the initial visioning phase on a pro bono basis. This first phase involves discovering together what is important to us about our community and our space.

This visioning phase allows the community to articulate what we value and where we see ourselves in the future.  The governance council has formed a Building Renovation Exploration Committee (BREC) to head up this process.  BREC is currently composed of Kevin Kinney, Sarah Osborne, and John Rupe.

The committee will recommend if and how to proceed with a renovation based on the information gathered from these initial explorations. BREC will submit this recommendation to the council by Shambhala Day-February 27, 2017.

 

Project Description:

BREC is looking into several different inputs in this initial information gathering stage. These inputs are:

  1. Sakyong’s Vision for Shambhala Centers
  2. Eva Wong Consultation – October 17-18, 2016
  3. Community Meeting #1 (Cafe Shambhala) – October 22, 2016
  4. Community Meeting #2 (Advanced Practitioner Community) – December 11, 2016
  5. Community Meeting #3 (Staffers, Volunteers etc.) – January 15, 2017
  6. Community Meeting #4 (Entire Shambhala MKE Mandala) – February 12, 2017
  7. Survey Replies (Community members who were not able to make the above meetings) – please follow link below if you would like to respond to this survey.
  8. Steve Vosper Consultation – February 19, 2017
  9. Pillar Specific Concerns (Governance, Practice and Education, Protection)

 

Progress to Date:

BREC has created a google document with a detailed description of the inputs as well as key takeaways and notes from the community gatherings that have happened thus far. That document can be found here:

Shambhala Meditation Center of Milwaukee Building Renovation Executive Committee (BREC) – Recommendation

This is a living document and information will be added as the process continues. Aside from talking directly with the council or members of BREC this document is your best resource into keeping up-to-date with this project.