David May-Stein has been coming to the Jewish Community Center’s Monroeville campus since he was 7 years old.
“I came here every day in the summers,” said May-Stein, who grew up in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. “My friends and I swam and hiked in the woods. On weekends, we came for cookouts and chicken dinners. There were days when there were 1,000 people here.”
The current crowd at the Monroeville campus is mostly construction workers. They are building an expansion onto the JCC’s on-site kitchen that will eventually become a fully indoor event space and dining hall.
“We’re renovating it from what was originally a snack bar area that we used,” May-Stein said.
The JCC’s Henry and Irene Kaufmann Family Park has been in Monroeville since 1969, on 100 acres tucked away in central Monroeville off Rosecrest Drive. A small unassuming driveway suddenly opens from a cozy neighborhood into an expansive natural area with sports courts, a pool and more.
From there, staff operates the James and Rachel Levinson Day Camp. During the summer, 12-14 buses arrive daily bringing children from kindergarten through eighth grade.
“We provide an opportunity for kids to socialize, learn independence, develop new skills and try new things,” May-Stein said.
That is accomplished through the use of hiking trails, basketball and tennis courts, a pool and a wide variety of programs.
“What we noticed is that the summers have been hotter lately and we’ve had a larger need for shade,” said Sherree Hall, JCC’s chief operations officer.
In addition, JCC programs at the Monroeville campus also serve a diverse — and neuro-diverse — population.
“We needed some spaces that are enclosed and climate-controlled,” Hall said.
Through $2 million in grant funding from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and donations, plans for The Cove Dining and Multi-Purpose Building began to take shape. Construction crews broke ground on the project in mid-January and Hall expects it will be finished in time for Levinson Day Camp events in June.
“It’s a game-changer for what’s happening here,” she said. “I’ve been here for 35 years attending events and now working, and this is a first.”
The Cove will incorporate the existing kitchen building an also include outdoor patio areas connected to the indoor space, sensory and STEM rooms and flexible, multi-purpose spaces.
“We host events in two, sometimes three seasons here,” May-Stein said. “Having a climate-controlled building will allow us to host things year-round.”
The renovation and expansion is a testament to the generations of Jewish residents who helped make the JCC what it is today, May-Stein said.
“When this place first came into being, we were not immediately welcomed,” May-Stein said. “There were protests when this place initially opened. But between the JCC and the Monroeville community, we worked together to grow together.”
Hall is looking forward to the new opportunities The Cove will offer.
“Kids need different types of support,” she said. “We pride ourselves on bring able to serve those diverse populations.”