ACM August 28, 2022

Topics: fire pit, Covid update, kitchen repairs

All-Community Meeting Minutes

Sunday, 28 August 2022, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Note Taker: Kay.  Facilitators: Lynda and Mike

Attendees: Lynda, Lauren, Larraine, Cheryl, Linda, Beth, Joe, Kay, Mike, Vicky, Victor, Laura, Kerry, Ben, Jorge, Robin, Amy, Mary, Maxine

Consensed Decisions: No use of the fire pit until a fire policy is approved.

Action Items: Send a picture to Lynda to be included on the community phone list.

Fire Pit

Victor built a big fire on his birthday. Totally filled the fire pit. Some of the logs that went onto the fire were seat height and had been used as such. We probably had more than needed for seats. They came from trees that had been cut down on the property. He sawthem as fire wood. 

People had gone to some trouble and labor to haul the logs there. Community members regarded the log seats as community property and some are upset about them being burned.

Kevin Bell has offered to help us turn the charred logs into bio-char for soil amendment.

Campsite rule: put things back the way they were.  Fire safety guidelines say a pit should be a foot below ground level and surrounded by rocks, nothing flammable within 10 feet.

Mess is still there. Haven't heard an apology.  Seats haven't been replaced.

Request:  No fires when swamp coolers are running.

Mary went out to see what was going on when the smoke increased at 3:00 a.m.  The fire filled the pit and was over head height. Victor didn't have a shovel or rake there, and the hose was totally inadequate to put it out.

The logs were too big to burn in a reasonable amount of time or to be put out easily.

The community tries to keep rules to a minimum, but rules help people know what is acceptable.and are thus as much a kindness as an impediment. 

The Fire Department would be willing to send out a crew to give us an assessment for fire safety.

Mary talked to some people at the city/fire department(?).  The fairly small commercial metal fire pits are what they regard as acceptable. Mary worries about someone falling into the below-ground-level pit.

Ad hoc fire pit committee: Kay, Joe, Larraine, Mary, Jorge, and Linda.   Joe will be the convener. Goal, possibly come up with a proposal by the next ACM. 

Management decided to call for a halt on any fires on the property until this ACM discussion. Lift or continue?  Straw poll.  Decision -- No use of fire pit until policy is approved.  (Small gas barbecues are exempted.)

Covid Update

Latest CDC guidelines.  Low risk right now in the county. Keep in mind that rapid tests at home don't get reported to the authorities so probably more cases than known. Stay up to date with vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms. Masks are optional. Reminder: If you have tested positive, let the community know. Ask for help if you need to isolate.

Lynda is thinking of moving cafe back to her home and would lie feedback on the idea.

Kitchen Update

The tank on the upstairs toilet leaked through to the common house ceiling.  $1K deductible on c.h. insurance. Company came out with fans to dry it out. They will provide a quote on replacing drywall and repainting.  Probably another week or two before the work is finished. Vinny will change out the parts in the toilet. Q. Okay to use c.h. dishes? A. Work will produce a bit more dust even if not lots; maybe ask people to continue bringing their own dishes for potluck. 

Committee Reports

Work Support. New work team roster.  If you prefer to be on a different team, find someone to swap with and let team leaders and Work Support know so they can correct the roster.

Chicken Club.  Eliza has joined.  If you are giving scraps to the chickens, please put them in the pan just inside the run, rather than just tossing them over the gate.  Limit the amount to what the chickens will eat it completely in a short period of time.  Otherwise encourages skunks. Nothing moldy.  Some things are better to compost.

Welcoming. Lynda ran off paper copies of the community list. Welcoming finished the current round of orientation meetings; will start a new one.  Could welcoming put pictures on the list?  Lynda will.

Common House.  Vinny donated some outside furniture for  the back porch.

Trees.  Meeting will be scheduled in September to discuss next steps on stumps.  Alex will convene. Ask her to let you know the day/time.

Announcements

Wasons have a room-mate, Yara Sanchez.

Natalia provided some stickers (clings) to go on car windows to identify resident cars. If you have a guest, put their vehicle info on the whiteboard.

October 12 to 18, guests staying at the common house, attending Servas Conference at U, Fri Sat Sun.

Drum Circle at Optimum Care Center, every first Thursday at 11:45.

Dinner at Chanon Thai, Wednesday August 31, 5:00, 9th S 3rd E.  Check with Victor or Lila if you need a ride or can offer somebody one.