All-Community
Decisions: Decision: approved Shyra using the common house for massages for residents/family/friends.
Topics: Topics: favorite memories of this week, use of c.h. for massages, management qualifications, plan New Years party
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: dining club, cohousing.org donations, budget discussion, water use, process for management election
All-Community
Topics: Topics: appreciations, common house & community needs, kitchen tour
Discussion:
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: aging-in-place cohousing conference in SLC, co-op food club, dining club, clean-up after potluck, tasks for pay-or-play
All-Community
Topics:
Discussion: Topics: pay or play, record keeping, sociocracy book study group, participation
Proposal: Officially accepted Shannon as an adult member of the community.
Proposal File: proposals/
All-Community
Decisions: Decision: Appoint a keeper of the heart for meetings; evaluate after a couple of months. Discussion group/book club will meet 7:00 p.m. Wednesday October 28; read the first section of We the People if interested in attending.
Topics: Topics: review of retreat, keeper of the heart position, book club on sociocracy
retreat
Retreat Notes
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: retreat
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topic/Decision: Look into logistics of hosting a visit to the community during a conference next year
Proposal: host a visit during a cohousing conference next year
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: common house use; kindness
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: goals of community retreat, review policy for use of common house guest rooms and fridge
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: Welcoming and sales; topics/activities for nonbusiness meeting
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: Committees
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: Committee membership
All-Community
Decisions: Decision: allow the common house to be used for a permaculture course in August
Topics: Topics: common house event policy; permaculture course, what committees are needed
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: committee structure. No decisions.
All-Community
Decisions: Decisions: emergency contact list will be posted on the bulletin board inside the office.
Topics: Topics: retreat Oct 2-4, policy on emergency contact info, spruce tree, committees & participation
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics:
Discussion: Discussion: decision making. No decisions.
All-Community
Topics: Topics: Amendment to 2015 budget (discussion only, no decision)
Proposal File: proposals/
annual
Decisions: Decisions: Elect Linda Parsons, Mike Wason, and Hans Ehrbar to Management, joining Kay Argyle & Kathy Albury. Approved budget -- see attached pdfs of budget and fee schedule.
Topics: Topics: Elections for Management, budget, maintenance
Proposal: 2015 Budget
Show-and-tell: Linda R shared patch designed by Marina for new dojo.
Jan 7, showing of "Paper Tiger", Century 21, Thursday 7:30, $11/ticket, need to sell 72 tickets. RSVP by this Thursday. Aitch sent a link. It's about a school that she went to.
Check with Aitch if interested in helping with workshop cleanup or exercise room refurbishment.
Dining Club. First dinner is scheduled for Monday Jan 4. Still openings for people to sign up. Sign up three times per quarter for discount meal price.
Share a favorite memory from this week.
Request by Shyra to use the common house for massages.
Would use the downstairs bedroom. Need an open space roughly the size of the rug in the sitting room; not all units have that.
Clients would be community members, family/friends/guests/neighbors like the Bells or farmers, not outside people. Saturday once a month. Her rate for community residents would be $30.
Some feeling that guest use should have priority. Shyra would coordinate scheduling if the room was needed for guests.
Consensed.
Management deals with the community's financial and legal business. Currently Management also handles maintenance but would love to hand that off to a maintenance committee. Until Crown is fully dissolved, Management is also the board for Crown.
Management members are elected. Community policy is that renters have the proxy of their unit unless the owner takes it back.
Per the CCR, there are five members who must be owners. We also elect a renters representative. All community residents are welcome to attend and join discussions. Officers are president, treasurer, and secretary, selected by Management themselves.
Candidates need to take the job seriously, commit to attend meetings and take care of tasks. Helps to be good at working on a team. Stay on task. Management has legal fiduciary duties to the community. Diversity of skills are useful within Management technical skills, social skills. Be willing to learn.
:: Agreed to continue ACM past 4:00 and shorten Discovery Hour.
Start around 8:00 p.m. Bring potluck finger foods; BYOB. Board/card games. Social games. Family & friends are welcome. No dress code, casual to formal.
Tasks: decorate, arrange games, set up sound system, arrange music, set up TV for countdown, clean up New Years morning, get hats and noisemakers.
A task sign-up sheet was requested, but Celebrations committee felt this was unneeded.
Marina & Lynda will do decorations. Shyra will set up sound. Celebrations (Lynda) will provide champagne & sparkling juice from their budget.
Reminder: Do not store alcohol, opened or unopened, in the common house.
Please look over the proposed budget and email any questions before the Dec. 27, when we will be asking for consensus on it.
Dining club sign up on back of door in mailroom, January, February & March. Appreciate people who will sign up to cook, then people can also sign up on the meal days to clean up. Cooks choose date and time. Meal prices will be slightly lower for cooks or cleanup who participate three times per quarter (average once per month). Five positions, cook, assistant cook, two cleanups, and manager. "Manager" position will be responsible for tracking money or marking off attendees. Have opened a checking account for the dining club.
Cohousing Association of the United States ("cohousing dot org") does a lot of work that is helpful to cohousing communities educational outreach to officials and banks, listing all communities, and so on. There is $500 in the community budget for this purpose; however, if individuals will donate we can save that for something else. You can make a donation yourself and get the tax deduction, or give the money to Hans and he will match the donations, up to $250 total.
Becca will retrieve her ornaments from the c.h. tree before she leaves on Dec. 18.
Climate Action: Meet Sat 9:00 a.m. at Salt Lake Library. Trax to Exxon station and surround it for 38 minutes in symbolism of the 38 years that Exxon has been aware of its research on climate change and has suppressed the information.
New dojo will be at 370 W Ironwood Dr., half block from RC Willey.
Repairing the gray Kenmore vacuum will cost more than a new one, so it will be replaced.
Please submit any receipts for reimbursement before the end of the year. Any money budgeted for 2015 and not spent will be put in the capital reserve in January.
Insurance premium changes in November and there is a balloon payment. Some years has gone up sharply. We build in a buffer just in case. Community insurance covers floods where water comes from outside the unit (e.g., the Surplus Canal). Floods where water comes from inside the house (e.g., broken pipes) are not covered.
The company that mows the lawn is included under Landscape Maintenance: Contract Labor.
Eide Bailly (was Lake Hill & Myers) does the commuity's taxes. Bookkeeping is Amy & Marci; mostly Marci is helping with the closeout of Crown. Spent less than $800 this year. Left amount at $3K since we may start up process of changing Declaration again this year and will have legal fees.
State taxes are around $100/year. Pay no federal tax. Property tax on common areas is paid as part of home owners' property taxes.
Parents committee money is for babysitting for meetings, etc. Child infrastructure is playground repairs etc.
Welcoming includes ad in Catalyst ~$350. Line 04452 "Dues" should be "Contribution".
Reserve payment is ~$1800/month. Account is at University Credit Union. Gets extremely little interest income.
Requests: It would help new residents to see historic actuals from several years. Would like a spending report from each committee.
All residents can get a log-in to look (read-only) at the community's spending. Email Amy your email address and a password (to be changed).
The community needs someone to take on irrigation water use, learn the systems. There are three water meters, two irrigation-only, (1) common house, lawns, and west berm, (2) community garden and (3) workshop & orchard. September garden water bill was far higher than normal; B&L Water didn't find a leak; hose left running may have been a factor. Garden club should discuss how to improve water use.
:: Joel is interested.
Want to get the budget consensed at the Dec 27 meeting and new assessment amounts start Jan 1.
Can pay monthly assessments by wire transfer or monthly bill paying; saves time for Amy.
Process for Management Election
Will be trying out a different method for nominations based on sociocratic method. Handout with information about the election and describing the process.
Tuesday Nov 24th new mayor Jackie Biskupski at Unity Center, 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday 24th violinist Gerald Elias at Libby Gardiner Hall, benefit for Citizen Climate Lobby, $25 donation requested, up to $1K matching donation. Playing Beethoven, Schubert, & Mozart violin sonatas. See Susan is interested in carpooling there
Thanksgiving at 5:00 p.m. Thursday. Please RSVP.
Common house cleaning party Saturday Nov 28.
Dec 5 Saturday 6:30 Christmas caroling party. Cookies, mulled wine, sheet music.
Announcements & reports
Mark & Susan are arranging to get a visit from Andrew Johnston, new rep for Glendale, date to be determined.
Dining club. Considering tiered prices for people who cook/clean, non-club members, drop-ins w/o reservation.
Underutilized spaces has acquired a bed & boxsprings by donation for upstairs. Bed that is there needs to be removed & found a home (Izzy wants it). Full with drawers. Bed frame from Carol, expandable from full to queen, may be available.
Joel & Shawnie are interested in organizing Christmas party with gifts to community. See them to help organize.
Vicky has $15 Peace Corps calendars.
Appreciations. Joel & family have done a lot of landscaping work, dandelions, north field, spreading compost. Everyone who helped with Vicky's Servas & Peace Corps potlucks with chairs, pouring water, bought more forks, spoons, & glasses and everything else. Linda for running ACM and all the work on Process. Mary & Kay for cat care & airport pickups. Susan for emotional support. Kathy for help with tire. Kay for minutes & sharing thoughts on sociocracy book. Mike Polacek for organizing table for Wasatch Commons at Watershed conference & pulling together box of tabling materials. Vaughn for ride to surgery & back. Update on Linda R's cat. Whoever cleaned up the leaves outside dumpster. Lynda for caf‚, providing opportunity for . Lynda & Grace did interview for DesNews article. Marina for help with work team & orientation. Izzy for violin lessons. Shyra for bringing kids to the community.
Community appreciation. Being forced to stretch & grow. Richness. Emotional support when family isn't available. Kid energy, especially little girl energy. Different generations. Safe place to come back to. Community's acceptance of Heather & giving her purpose in the community. Being able to show vulnerabililty. Casual friendliness. Not having to dress up to be social.
June-Dec work team: Carol, Hob, John, Linda G, Linda R, Matt, Sandra.
Mattress for upstairs.
Wifi in c.h.
Do inventory of maintenance needs, room by room, Mary, Joel, Shyra.
Automatic external defibrillator (look for grants).
CPR class. Mary can renew training certificate.
Christmas d‚cor in common house. Saturday. Becca will do tree.
Live music, pay musicians, more than a tip jar. See Isabella to brainstorm.
Do a presentation on NextDoor program.
Art show.
Clarified policy on fridge & freezer use.
Label items in fridge for date opened.
Sign on fridge. "Date items upon opening. If it doesn't have a name or an indication of planned use, it's for community use."
Laundry soap that is for common house linens. (Can be purchased with supply budget.)
Shelves with childproof doorlock for cleaning chemicals. Match rest of kitchen.
Get vacuums repaired.
New towels.
Outside Needs
Signs on storage doors or on carport posts indicating reserved parking for residents.
Boot for misparked cars.
Sprinkle snowmelt during storm, not after.
Google doc of things for giveaway or needs.
Kitchen tour at 4:30
Note: Sign up for Thanksgiving dinner in mail room
Potluck this Saturday 6:30, Servas, hosted by Vicky.
Potluck next Saturday 6:00, Peace Corps, hosted by Vicky.
Should be plenty of food. The community is welcome to attend.
Christmas caroling party December 5 (St. Nicholas's Day) in common house, time to be determined. Hosted by Becca.
Thanksgiving dinner starts at 5:00 p.m. Sign up sheet will be in the mail room.
County Watershed Symposium, next Wednesday & Thursday, Cultural Celebration Center. Hans & Mike P will attend. Need some tabling material to pass out.
Conference
National cohousing conference in Salt Lake, "Aging Better Together: The power of community," May 20 and 21, University Guest House, 110 S Fort Douglas Blvd
Will need volunteers to help with registration, local information, handing out boxed lunches etc. In return we would get a "sponsor package".
Cindy is thinking that a visit on Sunday to Wasatch Commons would work better than Friday night.
Ad hoc for coordinating visit: Linda G, Lynda, Susan, Joel, Shawnie
Co-Op Food Club
Joel is interested in buying in bulk and sharing as a co-op. Give him input on what residents are interested in buying. He has a PayPal account to settle payments. Shawnie will be getting 40 lbs of chicken tomorrow, never frozen, from a restaurant supply; contact her if interested in buying some at $1.50/lb.
Clean Up after Potluck, Lock Up
If everyone will do a job or two after potluck, clean up will go fast. Cleaning up after yourself is part of potluck. Wash any dishes you use during the week. Rinse them clean and put them in the rack by the sink to be washed at the next meal.
Lock the common house during the day instead of leaving it open.
Host a training party (like Michele did a few years ago) and go over the procedures of cleanup. Schedule for next ACM.
Lockup includes turning the porch light on. The porch light doesn't come on by itself at night but does go off by itself in the morning. Leave one light on inside, either the pass through or the coat room.
Dining Club
What Joel has in mind: Meals scheduled on a regular basis. Cooking and cleanup would rotate among club members. Fees/subscription to pay for costs. Initially maybe pick one night of the week.
Documentary Happy features a cohousing community talking about their common meals.
Different communities use different funding methods.
- included in monthly fees
- cook pays for meal
- diners pay for meal and cook is reimbursed
The idea of it being mandatory scares some people.
Dining club: Joel, Linda R, Lynda, Vicky, Mark, Carl, Kellie, Sam
Tasks for Pay or Play
* Labor Inside *
Fix handle of window on stair landing in workshop
Floor sweeping
Clean stove hood
Clean stove
Clean fridge
Clean dryer vents
Organize spaces downstairs crafts room, upstairs crafts room, workshop
Seasonal decorations
Inventory snow shovels
Help other residents - replace smoke detector batteries, furnace filters, porch cobwebs
* Labor Outside *
Rake leaves
Dig dandelions (a year-round job, since they are perennials)
Sweep carports & dumpster enclosure
Snow shoveling
Break up solidified chunk of magnesium chloride for snow melt
Linseed oil trestlewood beams
Lift bricks, lay sand, relay bricks along path
Lawn mower drain gas for winter, change oil. Attach a note that it has been done.
Repair and/or sharpen tools
Winterize c.h. swamp cooler
Repair kids structures
Design/build a sandbox cover
Trouble-shoot high garden water bill
Check Management minutes for projects
* Light or Intellectual Work *
Purchase c.h. supplies, t.p., napkins
Get photo switch for c.h. porch light fixed (supervisor electrician)
Maintain email list
Update & publish maintenance list
Update & maintain contact (phone) list
Organize & file paper documents
Set up google docs for community use
Organize & put online electronic docs
Update brochure & other recruiting materials for tabling events
Design a logo for the community
Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything & The Shock Doctrine, in SLC, Nov 10, Grand Theater (old South High)
Maintenance report. Last of the decks has been cleaned. Made four trips to the dump in the last eight days. Case Roofing said Kellie's leak was water was splashing up from the base. Smoke detectors in c.h. all replaced. One carport light is burned out & will be replaced.
Management report. Please submit budget requests for next year. Email & put a copy in management's folder.
Work party yesterday cleaning common house. Only one vacuum is working. Kenmore should be repaired if possible.
Vaughn went through the work teams and removed ex-residents. He sent around a clipboard with the remaining work teams listed.
Marina made a new signup sheet for the work team tasks. Linda passed around copies. Lockup should be added to the sheet.
Pay or Play
Every adult resident is expected to do two hours of community work per month, or pay $20/hour ($40/month) so the community can hire the work done. It's up to the individual what counts as community work (part of the agreement was that this would be revisited).
Reporting system needs to be changed to a more stable, low-maintenance system.
Records Keeping
Anyone who has worked on the community records, please update us on the status of anything you've done.
The job needs to be broken into manageable chunks and prioritized. Not everything needs to be online. Some different types of records are
Wednesday 7:00 p.m. Sociocracy Book Club. Read section 1 (first 30-40 pages) in advance. At that meeting will discussing future schedule of meetings. If you can't attend the first meeting, please email what dates are convenient or possible for you.
Ideas: Set up an online place listing all community tasks, where people can sign up for jobs. Have a page where each committee can list their goals for the year and their progress on those.
It's easier to Hans to have a bunch of accounts to set up at once for the pay-and-play reporting rather than one at a time. Everyone give Hans their chosen password and he will set people up. Write name and password on a separate piece of paper for each individual. Simplest if the household shares a password.
Once the Crown LLC is closed out, Amy can send out the CCR revisions to the banks again. They have sixty days to respond. Once the CCR is revised we can add the pay-or-play to the bylaws and legally enforce it.
Joel & Shawnie will host a Thank You dinner next Thursday October 22, 6:30 p.m.
The water is shut off in the garden while possible leaks are located and fixed. To water, turn the stop-and-waste valves on, do your watering, and turn them off again. If you aren't familiar with the valves, Kay, Mary, Amy or other gardeners can help.
Linda W will schedule a meeting on the community future, financial continuity and sustainability.
Hans will be donating to cohousing.org. He will match any donations from community residents. Write the check to him.
Aging in community conference ~May 22 next year.
Defunct circuit breaker was replaced and west-side lamps are back on.
Mary & Matt dug out the stop-and-waste at southeast corner. It has leaked before. Four feet down the soil was wet but no leak was found. B&L Waterworks will be here Friday. [Rescheduled to Monday.]
Okayed Becca taking fluorescent fixtures, stored in workshop, to Restore Habitat for Humanity.
Vaughn will update the monthly work team list.
Please submit committee budget requests to Management. Include committee name, committee members, what purchases you will be making, the amount requested, and an approximate timeline of plans. Deadline: the end of October.
Very positive mood. Well paced. Dealt carefully when sensitive issues came up. The team-building exercises were enjoyable. Helpful for new residents to integrate.
The cost for the facilitator, Gregory, was $1,000 (discounted because his trip was combined with work with Unitarian church). Wait a few months and evaluate whether we want to ask him back next year?
Maybe do a dinner the first evening of the retreat night rather than snacks.
Four basic positions during a meeting are facilitator, minute taker, keeper of the heart, and time keeper.
The keeper of the heart's task is to pay attention to emotions and speak up when something needs attention. Process dropped the practice because they noticed that other people were abdicating the responsibility to that person. The idea was that everyone should share the role.
It's helpful to have someone officially authorized to speak up about emotional issues occurring during the meeting. Having one person empowered doesn't mean anyone else can't, similar to someone besides the facilitator bringing up a point of process.
The weight of the role tends to fall on the facilitator if there isn't a separate person.
The good side is we deal with emotions that are affecting business. The down side is that some people don't want to have to deal with emotions in business meetings.
The next Process meeting is this Sunday evening after potluck.
Decision: Yes, revive the position of Keeper of the Heart. Evaluate how well it is working after a few months.
Used sociocratic selection process to choose a k.o.t.h. for this meeting: nominations, reasons, change nomination, facilitator selects, nominee accepts, celebrate.
:: Vaughn & Kathy are co-keepers.
About a dozen people are interested in reading and getting together to discuss the book on sociocracy Gregory recommended, We the People by Bucks & Villines. Joel will order six books. First meeting 7:00 p.m. Wednesday October 28. Those attending should read the first section of the book before then. If the book group decides it is worth trying sociocracy in our community, they will make a presentation to the community.
Quick disclaimer: As I was taking notes by hand during a pretty quickly evolving discussion (and trying myself to participate), it is almost certain that I missed many things and even wrote things down incorrectly. I apologize to anyone whose contribution to the discussion I have therefore left out or misrepresented. Grammatically, most of my notes were in the form of cataloguing the reality of what was said, and not the thesis- I've left them as bullet points, included names only when I happened to write them down, and decided not to clean up the grammar. If it's confusing, think of any given line as answering the question "what points were raised during this discussion?"
Small group discussion: what do trust, safety and respect mean to you?
" Lynda A recognized her own feelings on cohousing's current financial situation are colored by time and perspective- gained more understanding for others concerns
" The idea of respect, trust and safety as a 3-legged stool: remove one and the whole thing topples over
" Concern about storage units being easy to break into. IDEA: reinstall new locks (would cost ~$500.00?
" Emotional safety is (for some members at least) related addressing conflict w/ person whom you have problem with
The last point, raised somewhat ungracefully by yours truly, started a fairly long discussion on the topic of talking about people who are not present. Gregory started by asking: What is a doable request?
" Becca: don't do that? (Becca was clearly not ready for this question) o Response: obviously not doable o Reframed: please discuss conflict with the person directly, as opposed to talking about it with others
" Talking with a third party to help with conflict vs. blaming, gossiping, scapegoating
" Ex: Isabella remembers a committee meeting spent entirely talking about one absent person. Feels this is hurtful and unproductive
" Hans: gossip can function as glue for the community. Can help keep people safe. Conflict/friction is natural, need a balance between acceptance of friction vs. fixing conflict
" Becca: trusts that people really do know the difference between talking about someone in a productive vs. unproductive way
" Susan: finds being able to talk to a third party very helpful. Can find allies, feels safer b/c doesn't have to be upset alone. Feels most talk is not intended maliciously, is beneficial to community. Finds 'rule' that we shouldn't do that to be problematic
" Straw poll: except for in email, most people do not think unspoken rule about not talking about people when they are absent
" Mary: expecting a random group of people to all get along is ludicrous- everyone doesn't share the same standards/expectations. Have to (1) accept conflict, and (2) understand there will be an impact of said conflict
" Shared (and explicit) understanding/expectations/boundaries are important
" People need to remember to acknowledge/respect other people's boundaries even if they're not shared (ex: this conversation somewhat ignoring some community members strong feelings of hurt on the subject)
" Sharing perspectives (even conflict) can be seen as productive
" Hey love! Mind taking notes while I pee?
That last bit was obviously not a discussion point. I just thought I'd embarrass myself a little bit for general amusement.
For those who weren't there, we did an exercise where two people had to hold a dowel between them using two fingers each, and keep it moving under a variety of conditions.
What does this have to do with living in community?
" The medium is the message
" The environment/conditions really affect the outcome, and your experience. For instance, we could have an emotionally difficult ACM framed by chocolate and ice cream!
" Tension is necessary- both people need to push. In community, tension represents by participation, connection, engagement, cooperation
" Gregory: stick represents a relationship between two people. Can drop a stick, pick it up and try again
" Shira: when it comes to relationships, both people have to want to pick up the stick
" Need for flexibility
What does the stick exercise teach us about leadership?
" Leadership = interdependence o Leaders have to follow, followers have to lead o Without a defined leader, someone was still leading, but it changed more frequently
" Leadership is a function we use to make things easier. Can exist outside of a defined structure
" Defined leadership roles are both helpful, and something you can step in and out of without recreating your identity
" Can't lead unless someone is following
" Leadership functions best with consent and agreement- there is tension when it's unclear who is leading
" The more connection/ shared understanding, the easier it is to shift roles
" Music made it easier to have fun- back to the point about the medium
" Idea: we should get a radio for our raking parties!
" Hans- decided to let stick take over, was ignoring music.
" Sandra- different dynamic when participating w/ (romantic) partner
" Gregory: wants to offer some experiences and skills we can take forward, not focus on specific issues. Ex: skill development around communication
At this point, cards listing universal human needs (as catalogued by Marshall Rosenberg's Center for Nonviolent Communication) were distributed.
Exercise: swapping assigned cards to gather those most important to you
" Cards = values, treasures, needs, gifts
" False scarcity in this exercise- only one card representing each need
" People value different things
" Gregory: communication/conflict skill- when someone disagrees with you, offer an 'empathy guess': try and figure out which need they are currently trying to fulfill. Offer guesses with curiosity- feedback isn't personal
" Hans: none of these cards say we need physical belongings. Hans is very glad not to own too many objects
" Counterpoint: car/dog/microwave/spouse are means of satisfying the (more abstract) human needs
" Framework for thinking about the world: everything we do is a way of satisfying one of these qualities o Can help us judge less, because most people are really just seeking value
" Same object can fill someone's need and violate someone else's- or fill different needs for different people
" Conflict arises in ways we try to achieve those values
" Gregory: the classical interpretation suggests that everything we experience as emotion is the result of these needs- positive emotion results from needs being filled and visa versa o Alternative interpretation: I'm sad. What am I therefore longing for? What am I turning towards? o Curiosity: allows us to accept/experience pain, while asking 'why do I feel this way? o Gives us choice, takes away blame o Thought: we are all responsible for the quality of our experiences
" Bringing a problem to another person requires trust- it's a practice of revealing. Can be painful. We get to choose what to expose and to whom
Exercise: Using universal human needs to solve/address conflict
At this point we invented a fake and polarizing conflict, broke into groups and brainstormed, then practiced a couple methods of discussing the conflict
Invented disagreement: 'We should never cut down any trees' vs. "We should cut down absolutely all of the trees'
Arguments for never cutting down any trees:
1. Trees maintain and increase property value.
" Underlying needs: vision, stability, solitude
2. Trees are a carbon sink, and all that stands between us and disaster
" Underlying needs: safety, interdependence, awareness
3. Trees provide and promote biodiversity
" Underlying needs: connection, beauty, sharing
Arguments for cutting down ALL THE TREES
1. The trees we have are inappropriate, and intentional community should have intentional trees
" Underlying needs: purpose, order, equivalence
2. Tree maintenance costs money, and money doesn't grow on trees
" Underlying needs: ease, productivity, stability o Stability is functioning as a placeholder for a concept not expressed on a card, more accurately described as efficiency, economy, or sustainability
3. Trees are dangerous (children fall out of them and die etc.)
" Underlying needs: safety, effectiveness, predictability
Follow-up discussion:
" When we were all shouting at each other, we heard absolutely nothing
" Even with such polarized opinions, both positions' underlying needs included safety and stability o This can be a starting point for a good solution
" Getting to the values underneath the arguments means we see each other better
" Practical applications: reflecting what you hear
" Often we argue without looking for common ground
" We are adaptable- it is more possible to understand each others' perspective than we think
" 'Seductiveness of thinking' - many people in the tree-cutting group were surprised at how many reasons they could come up with for a position they didn't agree with
" Emotions lead to decisions based on 'you're wrong we're right'. Ex: Iraq war
" Gregory: two schools of thought
1. What we call emotions are just thoughts we give more credence to
2. Physical response is the indicator of emotion
" There are buzzwords that stop the conversation (ex: children will die). In this community, includes "I don't feel safe". o This can be (mis)used as tool to shut down a conversation
" Gregory: curiosity is the only response o Importance and interplay of 'self-responsibility 'and 'freedom of choice' o Self-responsibility is being curious about the impact your choices have on other people
" Some words can be used and interpreted with different meanings
" Systems need to reinforce our values, and people aren't always good at doing what's best for us
" Idea: Keeper of the Hear o Someone who (during meetings, discussions etc.) pays attention to the quality of discussion and values being expressed o Why do we no longer have this for ACMs?
" Answer: took individual responsibility away from group members
" Scott: people can (and do) take advantage of the compassion and gentleness of the group. o Ex: 'I don't feel heard' or 'I don't feel safe o Solution = reflection
" Lynda: wants to deconstruct 'selfishness' to look for what values someone is seeking, even when they're doing it in a problematic way. Believes it's possible using an abundance mentality o Selfish, for her, is a 'stop word'
" Scott values competition highly: "people are either going to complement each other or compete" o There are people who are very good at using the language of pacifism and use it for unproductive purposes o Competition is about fairness o Consequences are sometimes the only way in which people will evolve
" Lynda: prefers the words 'achievement' or 'aspiration' to 'competition'
" Discomfort is inevitable. How do we deal with that? Sometimes one person will just be uncomfortable
" Shira: there is value in living with discomfort.
" Alternative to win/lose/compromise method of conflict resolution: can we unearth what's most precious to each other?
" Mary: has learned to live with her frustration at people who don't participate, because you can't change other people. Accept it. Do what you do with the people who show up
" Light is both a particle and a wave: impossible yet true
Listening and practicing how to listen
First listening exercise:
" It's hard to listen and not respond
" Furthering your understanding doesn't necessitate a direct question- you can just guess
" The value of questions about details vs. guessing about needs o How to listen somewhat depends on the situation/relationships involved
" Sometimes people are seeing use when we don't realize
" How did it feel not to be responded to? o Like they weren't listening o Would be rude o Like there was more space to share o Preferable to some answers apparently Hans is terrible :D
" Gregory: precision and gentleness are sometimes in conflict o Option 3: letting go o Option 4: letting be
" The only way out is through. What now?
" Intention of reflection requires more focus and attention
" Need some space to find what you're saying
" Variety of opinions about how difficult reflecting and witnessing was o Trouble keeping mouth shut as witness o Easy/relaxing to be the witness because someone else was reflecting o Reflecting is easier with openness o It's nice to have a reason to force self not to react
" What's the purpose of reflection? o Find out if I am understanding you o Keeping focus on the person who is speaking
" In an interaction, does someone want reflection? Advice? Neither?
Gregory: wants to leave us with two practical suggestions: first, the 'keeper of the heart', and second reflective listening practices
Mary's report on landscaping/maintenance. Hauled another load of dead branches to the dump this week. Shyra & her youngsters raked the wild area, so there's another load. The four decks that have been there for sixteen years were taking half a day each to clean under. The decks replaced three years ago are going much more quickly. Just one deck left to do. There's patching needed where the swamp cooler was installed in the workshop, which probably will not be done until the weather gets bad.
Mary got a folding bed for the common house guest rooms.
Becca has been straightening up the workshop. Kevin has cleared out his stuff from the cabinets so there's room now to organize stuff. Once things are more organized Becca may schedule a nut-bolt-screw sorting party.
Dollhouse that was in garage has been given to a household with kids. Broken air compressor has been disposed of.
Aitch (underutilized spaces) is working on the exercise room. Anyone interested, contact her. Shelves, repainting, art on walls.
Retreat. Haven't gotten an RSVP from several households. Others haven't specified whether they will pay or provide food. Linda R will be contacting people to find out plans. [Edit: Saturday breakfast is potluck-or-pay. Saturday lunch & dinner are take-out (pay) or bring-your-own.]
Jobs needing someone to do them:
Gather and post information on projects that need to be done.
Carol will tackle organize work teams, balancing them so the members get along, have a mix of active/inactive, able-bodied/less, have a convener, etc.
Year-end reports from each committee on what has been accomplished would be positive reinforcement.
The parking strip across the street by the canal is full of goats head. If we can get rid of them, the seeds won't get tracked back into the community. Do not attempt to compost them! Put them in the dumpster.
The permaculture workshop is postponed until March 26-27.
Oct 2-4, Friday Saturday Sunday community retreat.
A swamp cooler (Linda W & John's old one) is being installed on the workshop. Mary is donating the cost of installation.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday there will be some guests in the common house who are looking at Steve's unit. They requested if we would audio-record the meeting for them.
:: Permission given to record.
Mary & Matt have been cleaning under decks, about four done so far. Tree trimming. Cardboard and chips laid in garden.
Raccoons are getting bold. Mary & Kay have had one climbing on the windowsill looking in.
Celebrations is planning a party to welcome new residents. Details to follow.
Cindy Turnquist is organizing a Senior Cohousing Conference, May or June 2016. Suggestion that the community host a visit/tour. The visit to Wasatch Commons would probably be a Friday night. The cost would be borne by Coho org. Residents would be responsible for set up before, clean up after, and tours and talk during. The planned conference attendance would be 300 (no saying they will get that many).
Amy has done events this size through KRCL.
One possibility would be offer a limited number of tickets to visit the community, limit it to a busload, or have times 5:00 to 6:00, 6:00 to 7:00 etc.
Need to borrow chairs to supplement the dining room chairs. Maybe use paper plates. If cars, parking would be an issue.
What would the fire marshall regard as the occupancy limit for the common house?
Consensed: Willing to pursue the idea. Not a commitment to do it yet.
Ad hoc committee to look into logistics -- Amy, Mary, Shyra.
Events:
Sept 26 9:00-3:00 & 27 9:00-1:00 Toby Hemenway will be doing a class here. Presentation Thursday Sep 24 at Sorensen Center.
October 2, 3, & 4: community retreat. Will need help with things like meals. See Linda R or other process members.
Linda A's caf‚ Saturday morning, #16.
Celebration of life of Kathy's sister, Stark's Funeral Parlor. Kathy will email details.
Announcements & Committee Reports
Free cucumbers in common fridge from Linda R.
Mary goes to the dump regularly, so she can take hazardous waste recycling such as paint or electronics.
Common house committee would like each household in the community to paint oil on one column around the common house. There are sixteen trestle-wood columns which need treating. See Carol to get boiled linseed oil and brushes. Use safety glasses and gloves. Put plastic to keep the oil off the cement. (Mary priced trestle wood recently; a piece like the columns is $300.)
Mary & Matt N are working on leveling common path bricks.
Mary, Matt, & Hans will be cleaning underneath all the decks. #22 has been done. To hold down the cost, the home owner should clean the surface beforehand shop vac the leaves and clean the cracks around the edges with a screw driver or similar tool, rather than paying to have this done. The reason the decks need to be done is that organic material collects under the decking. It prevents water from draining off and increases the chances of developing a leak.
Reviewed old consensed agreements on reservations (1999), policy for guests (2001), and events (2006). Need to be updated. Need to be easily accessed many residents were unaware there were ever agreements on these things, and it can be frustrating for long-time residents when issues get discussed as though they had never been discussed before.
Want to update the residents book. Many residents aren't in it, and residents who are have had lots of life changes.
Linda P, Vaughn, Linda R, Kay, John, Maxine, Kathy, Linda #9, Mary, Hans
All(?) religious traditions have some version of the Golden Rule. The community didn't include it in our Values statement because it seemed so basic.
Final hearing August 18 City Council, voting whether to place a bond on the ballot & how much. If you want to offer comments (two minutes max), fill out a card (available outside of room) to get on the rota.
Linda & John have closed on #9. Will be moving in next Thursday.
Matt & Mary spent two days cleaning up after the wind storm. Large branch knocked off downspout on Vaughn's.
Management will be planning cleaning debris from under deck boards.
October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. the first weekend in October. Outside facilitator, Gregory, certified in Nonviolent Communication in Colorado.
Possibly Friday evening, morning & afternoon Saturday, and morning Sunday.
Brainstorm, goals for the retreat:
Improving communication with each other
Learn communication & interpersonal skills
Know & understand one another better
Getting-to-know-you activities
Update biographical pages
What are our hopes for the community
Fun
Ways to improve participation
Status of senior cohousing units
Community grape crushing
Dinner Friday night
Abbreviated caf‚ Saturday morning
Second hour
Policy & Procedures for Guest Room Reservations
Write reservation on paper calendar in coat alcove & send an email to the community. In case of ambiguity, the paper calendar takes precedence. Reservation must indicate host (name & unit), room(s) reserved, and times where appropriate.
No one is allowed to change someone else's reservation.
The host is responsible to orient the guests about community rules.
The host is responsible to get room ready beforehand, and to wash linens, to vacuum etc. afterwards. So the next host can be sure the sheets are clean, don't remake the bed with them; cover it with the coverlet so it looks tidy.
There was a consensed agreement many years ago that each household had two weeks use of a guest room (contingent on there being two guest rooms, which at the time there wasn't), and for more use than that a donation was requested.
If you have a situation that doesn't fit the agreements, bring it to an ACM an get it okayed.
:: Kay will find the written policy and bring it to an ACM for discussion, revision, etc.
Common House Fridge Policies
If you put something in the fridge that isn't up for grabs, you must put your name on it. Strictly limit how long anything private is kept in the fridge or anywhere else in the common house.
There is a common thread in discussions of both guest rooms and fridge: A few people take advantage of the community's good will in unreasonable ways. How do we deal with that? We always say to deal with conflicts directly with the person involved, yet if one person talks to the person it risks being seen as a personal attack, and if a bunch of people speak it risks being seen as ganging up. The community needs a way to designate a spokesperson* who will be understood to be speaking for the community rather than him/herself *maybe Management, or Process, or a Resolution committee.
Friends of Vicky's will be staying in the common house with their two kids Thursday.
Saturday July 11 6:00 p.m. Kay will be giving a violin recital at the common house. Bring finger foods, munchies, wine.
August 2, Sunday Jewish Community Center
August 13, Vicky & Mike will be getting a fifteen-year-old exchange student from The Phillippines for nine months.
Aitch is interested in organizing a clean-up/revitalization of the exercise room.
If there is some community work you would like Matt hired for, talk to Kathy. She is acting as the point person and he checks in with her when he starts and stops work. If you are interested in hiring him for work of your own, contact him directly. We've been paying him $15/hr.
Vicky, Shira, Lynda, & Grace will be making an orientation video for new residents. Grace will be filming segments in the afternoon/evening after she gets off work at 3:00 p.m. or on Fridays. Short segments on different questions. There is a sign-up page of topics to be filmed. If you don't want to be filmed, you can do a voice-over.
Laraine's unit will be closing mid-July. Single woman from San Francisco.
Becky is dropping her asking price for #9 to $170.
If you are marketing your unit, stay in touch with Vicky so she can post information to the FaceBook page. Let the community know about open house events so we can get tidy up messy half-finished projects, etc.
Amber (realtor & Lydia's property manager) knows a fair amount about the community. (Her kids went to Open Classroom and have played here.) She provides at least some information on the community to prospects; she gave Shira & Aitch a sheet of information.
After Dodd-Frank (the act passed after the 2008 crash), the system of appraisals changed. Instead of using its own pet appraiser, now a bank draws from a pool of appraisers. Can't control who you get.
Brainstorm on uses for the second hour
If you would like to volunteer to teach something, email Process.
If you have birds living in your vents, let Management know.
Mark would like the community's okay to use the carport solar array as a backdrop for a press conference, 10:00-11:15 a.m., to promote distributed energy benefit of solar power.
Heather Hirschi will be using the dining room Friday at 7:00 to sort donations for refugees at U.S. southern border. Still need personal care products (razors, fem. hygiene, soap, etc.) or shoes. Have enough clothes.
John Noorda has moved out. Matt is staying at the house cleaning up the property. Hans would like the community's opinion about Matt renting the house. Concerns about John possibly still coming to use it for car painting. Air cleaning vent has been removed; paints taken to haz mat at the dump.
Management is discussing issue of appraisal on #6 coming in even lower than last year. UHC removed all low-income restrictions before #8 was sold; being in the same complex, it is an appraiser's first choice for a comp. Any way to get poor condition of #8 noted in record? The few repairs done were done poorly, and lots more are needed.
Passed around a master list of residents vs. committees to let people add themselves to committees they are interested in working on.
Brief summary of committees' roles.
Celebration/Social: event planning
Children: infrastructure like play areas, funding of baby sitting for meetings
Common House: furnishings, maintenance, supplies
Emergency Management: disaster preparedness
Internet/communications: email list, website
Landscape planning & maintenance: keeping landscaped areas nice, keeping unlandscaped areas controlled and safe
Management (elected): finances, legal, maintenance, committee of last resort
maintenance of buildings and hardscape
planning meetings, getting issues discussed, conflict resolution
Reclamation of Underutilized Spaces: Sprucing up or repurposing common areas
Recycling/Glass: (working task force rather than planning)
Welcoming/Liaison: arranging for ads, attending outreach events
Workshop/Gym: organization, maintenance, furnishing
Work Support: Leader of each monthly team plus coordinator of team membership
Helpful if (particularly non-absentee) landlords take an active role in getting their tenants to be active.
Remind neighbors the day before an ACM.
Mark your calendars: Community Retreat, Friday Oct 2 through Sunday Oct 4
All residents: There's a glass bowl in the sitting room with pieces of paper that have names on, and a roll of double-stick tape. Find the two pieces of paper with your name on. Pick two committees that you would like (or at least are willing) to be on. (Except, not Management, which is elected.) Tape your papers on the page for those committees.
All gardeners: Recommended donation of $20 per garden bed to reimburse community for water cost.
Events. Caf‚ will be an on-going event Saturdays from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. at Lynda's. Tips go to the server, usually a community teen.
On Friday May 15 6-9 pm, Madisyn DelPorto (room-mate with Alex) has an art show & open reception at Sorenson Unity Center.
29th Friday aftn 3:30-5:00 at common house, bunch of 8th graders. Ella and Grace are graduating 8th grade. Hosted by Vicky.
Announcements. Vicky would like help moving the remaining stump slices to a clean-up pile on the street. Lynda will contact the neighbor on Cheyenne who does woodwork to ask if he is interested in taking them.
Upcoming issue of The Catalyst focuses on housing. Vicky is arranging to split the cost of an ad with Cindy Turnquist in the issue.
#6 Mike P's is under contract. Liz is grad student in dance. Calvin is ex-community organizer, now works at landscaping company. 3-yr-old daughter.
#5 Steve's is also under contract. Amber (realtor) is still showing it, however.
Daniel & Leslie have been taking the glass to recycling. Mary & Kay will take it over since they have a truck.
Committees do planning but may recruit others to do the labor. There are repetitive tasks that could benefit from a similar process that we're going through with committees.
Committees that got the most votes for essentiality were management, landscaping maintenance, maintenance, welcoming.
Lynda will be hosting a caf‚ in her house on Saturday May 2, probably 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., in celebration of her retirement on Friday.
Victor Cruz will be staying at the common house with his kids Joe and Molly, and Victor's girlfriend, Mother's Day weekend.
Megan & Paul from Sacramento will be here Mother's Day weekend and need someone to host them in their house.
Hob's friend John will be staying in the upstairs guest room next weekend.
Community Council meeting meets Wednesday evenings at the new library (the last meeting was a week ago this past Wednesday). Kathy attended. She became aware of some old animosity that some neighbors have for Wasatch Commons. She encourages our residents to attend and get to know people in the neighborhood.
Policy around Common House Events
Kathy read the guidelines for outside events that Management discussed:
1. An event must be sponsored/hosted by a resident.
2. An event must benefit the community in accordance with our values.
3. The community may request a recommended donation to cover costs of utilities, wear, cleaning, etc.
Suggested that (1) there be a requirement that the guest and/or host is responsible for cleaning the facility afterward, since otherwise community residents must do it (before also?); (2) the guest signs a liability waiver.
Permaculture Course
(Jennifer is a friend of Michele Frandsen's and associated with the Waldorf School. Kathy Fish has lived in cohousing.)
Jennifer will be hosting a permaculture certification course taught by Kathy Fish. Nine-day course. August 8 to 16. 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Up to thirty-five students (20 is her break-even number). She would like to do it here at the common house. She is hoping to make the course annual, although not necessarily here. They will have event insurance. A chef will fix food and give a lesson on cooking native foods. Vaughn would be the resident host.
The students are expected to do a design project. Some of them could work on a design project for the community. Vaughn said that a permaculture garden requires a lot of work the first couple of years to get established. Once established, it requires less, possibly less than average for other types of gardens.
Course fee is $1400. Discounted rate $1,080 per person just to cover breakfast and lunch for eight days. Maybe arrange something for residents to attend course sessions but not meals for a reduced fee?
(Jennifer left to allow discussion without her present.)
Get things in writing between Jennifer and the community.
$1K for sixteen meals is $67/meal. Granted catering is expensive; still seems high.
The swamp cooler would probably be needed in August. It's noisy and not 100% effective.
Ask for the community to be named in the insurance policy.
Regard this as an experiment, that doesn't set precedent for future events. Evaluate afterward and see what there is to be learned for future events.
We would probably be cleaning the common house before as well.
Set donation at 3% of her gross? $80/day? Refundable cleaning deposit as well?
:: $80/day, plus $250 cleaning deposit.
:: Kay will write up an agreement based on her notes.
Consensed with a couple of stand-asides.
4:05 adjourned first session.
4:15 resumed, second session
Committees What Is Essential and Why
Vicky is still enjoying the recruiting and outreach side of Welcoming/Recruiting, but would like someone to take on the orientation/welcoming side.
Two approaches: (1) What committees are important for the community's well-being? (2) What committees are you yourself interested/willing to serve on? Focus on (1) today. Pick a committee you think is essential and explain why.
If we have strong celebrations, the other committees will run better.
Underutilized Spaces. Good for people who want projects that have a start and end and show results.
Long-range planning. Adapting to climate change. Maintaining income and generational diversity. Know what goals we are pursuing.
The focus should be on children, not parents. A lot of the children spending time in the community are here with grandparents. Rename Children's Committee?
Management, Process, and Maintenance are needed to keep the place running.
Some/many tasks don't require a committee. Committees are decision-making bodies. A lot of jobs don't need constant new decisions or only minor decisions.
Do we have too many committees? We have a limited number of people willing to be on committees. With fewer committees, each committee would have more members. On the other hand, things get done when someone has a passion for an issue. Forming a new committee or activating a dormant one around that issue takes advantage of the energy.
Email: Marina has been talking to Wiggio. They said to give them a list of everyone who needs to be reinvited. (This has been tried and hasn't worked, but we'll see.)
Mark Clemmons, #8, moving in tomorrow ~8:00 a.m.
Hans will be starting an eviction notice on John Noorda.
Mary would appreciate it if the parents would talk to the kids about not running across raised beds in field or elsewhere.
Hob saw a pair of dogs, possibly pitbulls, running loose in the orchard and Matt M's farm. One had a red harness. Appear If anyone sees them, to report them call nonemergency police ph 801.799.3000.
Return cards with vehicle information to Linda P.
Send changes for contact list to Sandra.
Weekend of October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th community retreat.
Lawn has been aerated. Mary will be getting compost to be spread; let her know when you are available for work party. Mary & Matt worked on leveling Larraine's walk. They were able to lower the metal edge to the walk.
Transitions party, April 11 evening. May have taiko drumming. Possibly at fire pit if the weather is good.
Management is working on closing out Crown. Will be severing relationship with American Express. Will be working again on Declaration now that UHC no longer owns any units. (They were one of the lenders that objected.) Need to write pay-or-play info bylaws. Roof work is done for the time being.
Blue Spruce. Small spruce in wheel barrow is probably still available. Two larager ones are still in the ground. Talk to Hans if you want one.
#21 has received permission from their landlord Hans to put in hooks in the porch beam to hang bikes.
Committee we currently have that are actually functioning.
Committees, membership, and budgets should be posted, so people know who to talk to.
Is there a distinction between committees and tasks? Committees do planning
Brainstorm. If we scrapped all committees and started fresh, what committees would we create? What does the community need?
Exercise "Reporter"
Reminder to parents: Please make sure the sandbox gets covered back up after use.
March 23 Mark Clemmons moving in, #8
April 1 Vaughn moving back in
April 4 Saturday egg coloring, maybe 2 p.m., common house
April 5 Sunday egg hunt, probably 10 a.m., c.h. lawn
April 11 Saturday (?) transitions party
April 22 Earth Day
October 2-4 retreat
Guests this Thursday thru Sunday, Paul from Southside Cohousing in Sacramento. His son is moving to an apartment. Can use household goods like dishes. Susan & Vicky are hosts.
Talk to Vicky about possible activities for Earth Day.
Process has scheduled a retreat October 2-4. Facilitator Gregory Rouillard, of Storm Integration, stormintegration.com. Process members met him at cohousing conference in Colorado. Lives in cohousing. He is getting certified in nonviolent communication.
Keeping emergency contact info in electronic form means it would need to be on several people's computers to be accessible. It isn't information that is extremely sensitive. Is anyone in the community unwilling to have emergency contact info where any resident can see it (but only residents)?
:: Post emergency contact list on the bulletin board inside the office.
The slam ranchers in Hans's Cheyenne St house removed a blue spruce in order to plant a fruit tree in its place. They dug up a big root ball with it. It needs a home. Doesn't appear to be a dwarf variety, so will get big. Not too close to an existing tree, not close to power lines. Will cast shade year-round, so not too close to a garden area. East berm? Would like to consult Mary. She doesn't get home for another week. Can it be nursed along until then? Try.
Nice to have new energy on a subject, yet also want to be careful in not stepping on toes of people who've been doing work in a particular area.
The effort of getting people together to plan a job can get in the way of doing the job.
When people become active in community work, it's often because they want to accomplish something. A discussion on what people want to accomplish might lead to more activity.
Radical idea: Have an ACM dedicated to participation, committees, community work, pay-or-play. Put invitations on everyone's doors. Serve refreshments. Fire everybody from every committee. If a person wants to be on a committee then they can explain why, and recommit.
Brainstorm pay-or-play reporting. Current system is temperamental. Original plan was to record on paper. Better communications would lead to better participation. Google docs, wiki something that residents can update themselves. Systems that won't break down if a key individual is removed.
A number of people moving in and out. It would be nice to have a party in observance. Check if Saturday April 11 works for Mark, Vaughn, & Larraine as a date.
February 16, Monday, 6 p.m. meeting of Management & Ron Case to discuss gutters.
February 21, Saturday. First session of Cindy's Turnquist's aging in place workshop.
February 21, Saturday afternoon, dance.
Matt N now has a full-time job at an auto-body shop.
Myste's mother passed away.
Need people to head monthly work teams.
Process (Linda R, Laraine, Susan report) is discussing how to make ACMs something people want to attend. For instance, leave minutiae to committee meetings, and people who are interested should attend those, instead of expecting people who aren't interested to sit through committee business at a community meeting.
Landscaping (Mary). Lawn hasn't been fed in years. Mary would like to get the lawn aerated, get compost, and hold a work party to spread it on the lawn.
Management (Kay). #8 closed. Discussing repairs on #15 Maxine's. Ron Case will be finishing up Angelastros' roof. His workers picked up the materials that were left by the play structure.
Controversy re decision on Cheyenne drive trees; not clear in minutes how decision morphed from removing sickest elm to removing all of them. Decision was not communicated adequately to the community.
Celebrations (Carol). Reorganizing and making plans. Lynda A, Marina, and Linda P
When a response is needed before the next regularly scheduled ACM, can call an emergency or special ACM. Consult Process for additional opinions on whether a meeting needs to be called.
Keep in mind that deadlines are rarely what people say they are.
Communication is integral.
The more people a decision affects, the more people need to be involved.
If people don't feel their voice is being heard, they are less likely to participate in decisions. Things that are a shock cause people to pull back.
Knowing ahead of time that the trees were coming out would have helped, even thought it would still be sad. Giving a heads-up lets people prepare.
Uneasiness around a commercial event in the common house being expected to pay to be in our mutual living room. We've had classes previously held in the c.h. that charged for attendance, such as permaculture and organizing.
Focus on a particular common principle (our values), then move to another, cycling through all of them through the year. Talk about how do we implement each principle. Talk about how we deal with competing values.
A newsletter would help people know what is going on.
Focus on making participating great for people who choose to participate, instead of worrying about people who choose not to.
Communication protocol Most people can be informed via email. Come up with a standard method for communicating with the people who don't access email.
There is a gradient of decisions from everybody's concern to nobody's business. There will always be judgment calls (and occasional misjudgments) about what needs to go to the community and what doesn't.
Decisions that affect the whole community, for instance changes, especially permanent changes, in common areas, need to go to the community.
Suggestion of a separate email notifying that a decision is to be made. How does this differ from an agenda?
Continue this discussion at next ACM.
Storage bin: Policy on what we do with information on emergency contact information and vehicle information, where it is stored, etc.
Request: Can we get additional donations towards the cost of the luncheon Saturday? Michele spent $190; $125 has been donated so far.
Query: There is a big dining room table in the garage. Who does it belong to, why is it there, and can the owner please remove it? That is not a space for personal storage.
Moment of silence in memory of Mike Angelastro.
Exhibit at Cultural Center on Redwood Road, hand weavings, for the next month.
Lynda's brother will be here until Thursday. Lynda would appreciate visitors and diversions.
Officers selected at Management meeting: Kathy is Treasurer, Kay is Secretary, and Hans is President. Members at large are Linda P and Mike W.
Can we get the grounds tidied up? Even though the roofers are not working on the roofs currently, they have left equipment around, and haven't cleaned up their debris. If anyone is interested in tackling cleaning the concrete of the path, talk to Mary about using her pressure washer.
Twice recently someone has found a c.h. oven left on. Whoever is locking up the common house, please check that the ovens are off.
February 21 Saturday 10:00-12:00 a.m. first session (of five) on senior cohousing community, by Cindy Turnquist. $185. When you sign up put in the code Wasatch' for 50% off. First session will be held at our common house. Minimum age for residents 55 years old.
Hans has been working with his architect on drawings for senior units next to common house. When they are a little further along he will consult with the community. He will be collecting signatures from Wasatch Commons management to close the alley across his land. The city will then either sell it to Hans or vacate it.
Summit on clean air 8:30 to 2:30 at Leonardo. Ticket required; free for students & children. Appears to be sold out.
Body World exhibit will at Leonardo for another three weeks. Tickets are reduced price.
Mark Clemmons(sp?) will be closing on #8 on the 31st.
Danielle will remove the dollhouse that is in the workshop.
Landscaping report. Mary and Matt have been trimming trees and taking loads to the dump. She thanks Isabella for her assistance yesterday in loading yesterday. If anyone can help with this, it saves the community money.
The short palisade surrounding for the playground has rotted out. Would appreciate a volunteer to gather up the pieces and either stack them near the fire pit or drop into dumpster. At some future date the concrete they were set into underground will need to be dealt with.
There were two clerical errors in the budget approved at the Annual Meeting. (1) The fee increase was stated to be 11% but was actually a little over 3%. (2) The planned 10% increase to the capital reserve deposits was left out of the approved budget.
The furnace repair person warned Mary that while the furnace (above the office) can be nursed along, but it will need to be replaced sooner than later.
Double check the figures. For instance, Linda's fee was $175 last year. The proposed increase is to $190, which is more than 6.2% higher. To Amy's recollection, the 2014 total budget was $68,200. Kay's calculation: $68,200 * .031917 / 12 = 2176.7394 / 12 = $181.40, rounded to nearest whole dollar: Linda's fee last year should have been $181.
Check-in: Why do you choose to live in cohousing?
Kathy and Kay are continuing on Management for the second year of their terms. Hans, Mike W, and Mike A are at the end of their terms.
What do we look for in members of Management? Honing our processes. New blood, new ideas. Managing money. Continuity during big changes. Iron out real estate problems.
What is coming up this year? Closing out Crown, roof replacement and maintenance, the Declaration, getting the capital reserve healthy.
If someone wants input but doesn't want an obligation to the job of Management, please do attend meetings nonetheless.
Our policy has been that a renter has the proxy for the unit unless the owner states otherwise. Per the bylaws each household has one vote, although we've sometimes allowed one vote per person present.
:: Follow the bylaws. Households with more than one person need to either agree on their vote or do half-votes.
Amy declines a nomination because she feels there is a conflict of interest with being the bookkeeper.
Accepting nominations for Management: Mike A, Hans, Mike W, Susan, Linda P
Platforms: Mike A is interested in preventative maintenance and improving the financial health of the community. Hans sees the Declaration and getting pay-or-play on a legal footing as both critical. Mike W brings skill with numbers and an accounting background, and skills working with people. Susan would like the opportunity to develop a connection and understanding of managing the community, and bring new energy and ideas to Management. Linda P wants to participate and serve the community; she is interested in sustainability.
Results announced following budget discussion: Linda Parsons, Hans Ehrbar, and Mike Wason.
Remember: The budget is a plan and a guide. It empowers committees to act. It doesn't stop us from reacting to unexpected costs.
If anyone has ideas on how to save the community money, please offer them to management.
The proposed budget builds in a buffer for insurance premiums since they go up most years.
The proposal finances all budget requests, for instance, retreat requested by Process, with a professional facilitator; donation to cohousing.org, which is an incredible resource. Will seek donations to help, but items are important to fund even without donations.
Two of the water meters have a lower rate because they are used for irrigation and don't include a sewer charge. To clarify a common misconception Hans pays the water bill for the slam ranchers and BUG Farms.
The proposal decreases the water budget. Aside from it being a major expense, our values include sustainability, which includes water conservation. We will need to work hard to realize a reduction.
We'll be asking gardeners and people using community water to make a donation, on a scale.
Proposal total is $2K less than last year's actual. 2014 maintenance went considerably overbudget lots of hired labor, appliance repairs.
Q. Is the cost of heating the workshop justified? A. The work-out room is used regularly. Paint needs storage area. Kids want to use it for music.
Republic is evading telling Amy when our contract ends, and isn't even giving us a copy of it.
Q. Why is there a separate budget for children's infrastructure and parents? A. To distinguish between activities and childcare (parents) and community facilities for children (infrastructure).
Thank everyone who has worked so hard on this budget.
Clarify: increase in fees starts with February payment, not retroactive to January.
Consensus on budget, no amendments, no stand asides.
Management has become the default maintenance committee. Once before we agreed that Maintenance would be the only other committee in the community which is elected. Can we reinstate this? Will be discussed next meeting.
Mary will provide a demonstration following the meeting on how to clean fridge coils and stove hood grease trap.
Let Mike P know of anyone interested in renting his unit.
Hob challenges those present to commit to joining a committee.
Some committees that could use new members and new energy: Process, Welcoming Dining. Ad hoc committee on mortgages and FHA approval. Lynda has requested to be replaced as coordinator of her monthly work team.
Checkout.
April 25, 2020