We plan to demolish and remove the existing Jizo House, a building that is at the end of its life, and build a larger, modern building in its place. The new Jizo House will expand significantly the accommodations that we can provide for residents and retreat participants whose accessibility and other needs can’t be fully met in the Monastery’s main house. It will also serve as an infirmary space for monastics and residents during times of illness. The new 4800 square foot building will include 8 bedrooms with sinks, three full bathrooms, a multipurpose room, and a finished basement which will house our dye studio and statuary. (View the building plans here.)
In concert with this, we will install a much-needed lift in the main Monastery building, from the ground floor to the second floor where our zendo is located. The lift will be wheelchair accessible and allow anyone visiting the Monastery to take part in all of our zendo and dining hall activities. In addition, the current guest room and guest bathroom on the second floor will be rebuilt to accommodate someone in a wheelchair as well as guest teachers. We are working with an ADA accessibility consultant on the lift project and see this as an excellent opportunity to make other accessibility improvements: outfitting all stairs with handrails, adding grab bars to the bathrooms, and creating a paved path from the rear kitchen delivery entrance for wheelchair access.