April 23, 2023 ACM minutes

Topics: 

All-Community Meeting minutes, Sunday, April 23, 2023, 3:00-4:45 p.m.

Present: Vinnie (co-fac), Eliza (co-fac), Kay (fac), Robin, Cyd, Laraine, Jorge, Cheryl, Vicky, Mike (fac), Lila, Kerry, Ben, Myste, Renae, Coleen 4:15

Civility

Eliza reported. The civility statement starts with calling out certain of our Values.   Examples of being courteous or being discourteous.  Guidelines for how to disagree without disrepect. Compassion is primary.  Maintain curiosity about other perspectives.  Cultural repair. Many ways to show compassion. Recognition and affirmation are forms of compassion.  Forgiveness, apologies, reparations.

In a tense meeting, could take more than one break to cool down.  Doesn't need to be the facilitator who suggests it.  We have at times had a role called Keeper of the Heart, someone specifically assigned to pay attention to emotions in the room, and other times we ask everyone to step into the role when they see a need.

Question about proposal proces; discuss outside meeting to avoid derailing agenda.

Common House Playground

Kay reported on some research on wood preservatives.  The pressure-treated wood, although it probably contains arsenic, isn't in locations the children will put their hands much so not as big a concern as the telephone poles.  Poles can be treated with various chemicals, including creosite or penta, all of which are toxic.   Given one pole has a date of 1976 it is probably penta.

Vinnie sent photos to some people who knows who do work, with a question about revamping it.  All of them said they wouldn't touch it. Hazardous to do anything to the wood to make it safer. His friend says it would take a day and ~$800 for heavy equipment to tear it out; round up to $1K.  Vinnie will get other bids since it is over $500.

Could we get an affordable residential set now and set aside money each year towards a better-quality, more expensive one when the residential set eventually fails.

The 3% increase in fees was difficult enough to pass this January.  Have some major expenses coming such as a tree that needs to be removed before it damages a foundation, etc.

Can we separate the issue of what to do with the old structure from what we do about a new one?  There seems to be general agreement the old structure needs to come out. OTOH, Renae is concerned about there being a time gap between the old one coming out and a new one going in, because her kids to play on it.

Can we set a money cap so Parents Committee can move fast if they see a used set available?

Renae will arrange a meeting for Parents and anyone who wants to join an ad hoc play structure team.

Conflict Support

The more distress, the greater the distortion in what you hear. The brain structure involved in dealing with fear and stress is the amygdala, involved in emotional responses, hormonal secretions, and memory, and active in trauma responses.  The amygdala is responsible for fear conditioning or the associative learning process by which we learn to fear something.  Perceived threats lead to fight, flight, or freeze responses.

Fear/anger/distress is a reflection of unmet needs.  When you are feeling fear or anger, it's important to ask yourself what your need is.

Cohousing Partnership

Our partnership gives us access to a lot of webinars and workshops on cohousing, for instance, on the 10th of every month at 10:00 am, live zoom course "Cohousing 101" (which Welcoming will be referring inquiries to) and articles by Laird Schaub who lives at Sand Hill Farms Community in Missouri.  A number of people in the community use the resource and find them valuable.  The more residents learn about how to do consensus and how to be cohousing, the easier it is to practice.

Vicky will send an email on how to sign up for your own account.

Eliza would be interested in having Watch Parties with others who want to watch some of the webinars. 

Vicky needs someone to update the name tags for residents for Open House.

Committee Reports

Reminder:  If you put something in the fridge without a name and date, don't be surprised if someone else eats it.

Thomas will make a dump run Monday. The trailer has 2,000 lb capacity.

Management.  We need a new member to replace Coleen.  Her term ends in December.  Meetings are the first and third Tuesday of each month.  Load on Management is getting easier as Maintenance takes over those tasks.

Maintenance.  Will be discussing purchases of equipment Tuesday 7 p.m.  Equipment will be available for use but you must be trained and check it out.  Most drains have been cleaned.  Drain by Joe & Lila's is scheduled for next Saturday.  Drain outside chicken coop has roots growing in the pipe.  Meeting schedule is second and fourth Tuesday.

Announcements

Sing along Saturday April 29(?) 1:00 to 2:00, Beatles, on the lawn behind the common house.  Choir Choir group is sponsoring it.  Please tip the musicians.

Linda will have guests, her brother and his husband, staying in the common house the weekend of the Open House.

Reminder not to bring give-away stuff until the day of the ACM so it isn't in the way when someone is using the common house.

Beth and Coleen are listing their unit on April 27, $435K.  Realtor is Leigh Anne Bernal, 801-244-7255

When the flooding risk has receded, could the sand from the sandbags go around the fire pit?