minutes, All-Community Meeting, Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Topics: review of good things in this past year

Present: Alex, Lynda, Kerry, Renae, Vicky, Lila, Joe, Robin, Kellie, Laraine, Kay (notes), Jorge (7:50)

Slide presentation on achievements this year.

Finding more ways to build community -- events

• Book club is hoping to start up again in January.
• Saw increased involvement in work parties during 2024.
• Giveaway table on ACM days.
  

Keeping inside spaces beautiful

• Eliza offered dining room chairs, Jorge picked them up, moved out the old chairs.  That inspired more changes.
• Organizing kitchen pantry, shelves in bedroom, rearranging upstairs sitting room, coat room.
• Dryer repair.
• Enthusiasm growing for organizing workshop. 
• Keeping outside spaces beautiful
• Used a lot of produce from Farmette for anniversary.  Basil & plums (170 lbs) preserved for later use.
• Planted four new trees this year.  Increase landscaping supplies to fix things when things break. Lots of mulch..

Improving communication and collaboration

• Instagram account, born September 2023, expanded in advance of anniversary.
• Project coordination meetings to talk about what needs doing over the next months, scheduling work parties to avoid conflicts
  
• Newsletter, "Community Chronicle", trying to publish once a month. Evolving. Send updates & suggestions to Cheryl.  In addition to email, gmail calendar.
  

Protecting Each Others' Health & Safety

• AED purchased by fund-raising, one person advocating for purchase motivated others. CPR trainings at ACMs.
• Training to add emergency medical information to cell phones.
• Health & emergency info in internal mail folders.
• Common house playground is safer. 
• Fire mitigation, dead limbs & trees removal from west berm & wild area. 
• Change locks on common house.

Investing in Wasatch Commons future

• Installation of new gutters & downspouts.
• Protect fascia with aluminum in spots with no gutters.
• Uninstalling six decks to replace roof membranes. 
• Eleven of thirteen decks have had membranes replaced in last three years, other two were about ten years ago.
• Soil enrichment. Compost & cover crops.
• Upgrading irrigation systems to conserve water, repairs, drip conversion

Saving Money with community DIO (ourselves) projects

• Vinnie arranged a boom lift & wood chipper to do tree work, about $5K cheaper than a contract.
• Farmette grew 1,500 lbs of produce, total market value $7,000 based on organic, living wage growers. Got a micro-grant from the city. 
• Common house playground restoration. Had known for years it needed a lot of work, with lots of ideas thrown around.  Coleman headed up the project, retained the character of the structure.  Got a multi-generational picture at anniversary of children who've played on it.
• Deck removal (and upcoming reinstallation) for roof membranes to be replaced.
• Tree stump treatment.  Alex advocated, Cheryl researched. Cost of grinding average $400/stump. Results are promising.  Work in progress, learning as we go.
• Vinnie got parts & he & Ben fixed dryer. 
• Drip irrigation conversion on east berm, mostly Vinnie. Upgraded wild area drip, mostly Kellie & Kay.

Money Management

• Fund-raised over $6,000. 
• Expanded use of cash-back card for community purchases, $1,100. 
• Jorge improved return on our savings with money market accounts and cds, $5,800
• "Unity is strength ... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."

There's More

• Michael organized & scanned photographs.
  
• Vicky put together a list of "ancestors," the eleven people who've lived here and are now deceased.
• Got microphones for meetings.
• The slideshow of the community's history from the anniversary gave a lot of perspective for new people and long-time people alike.
  

Announcements

• Vicky's sister & her husband will be here with their RV on Utah Street by clothesline.
• October 19, Peace Corps slide show in common house, hosted by Vicky & Victor.
• November 16, Laraine's birthday party, will have a band.

Emailed 10/30/2024.