Wasatch Commons All-Community Meeting,Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Topics: concrete patios and paths, cohousing board visitors
Present: Ben, Lynda, Renae, Laura, Vicky, Joe, Chelsea #19, Linda, Coleman, Kay, Kerry, Stephen, Amy
Events, Reports, Announcements
Potluck Thursday March 13.
Laraine is doing a drive for the food bank. They mostly need non-perishables. If you'd like to participate, put your donations on your porch before 8:00 a.m. Saturday March 15.
Eliza & Vinnie will be having an open house.
Bed #18 in the east garden has been unclaimed for a couple of years. Linda wants to plant perennials in it so it will look better.
Yard sale & plant sale first weekend in April. Money going to Wasatch Commons. Consider what you have to donate or divide.
Sign thank you card for Kathy Albury for her donation.
Patios, Walkways, Central Path
Concrete Patios & Walkways. Ben is looking into getting a heat pump. If he's going to have a concrete patio at some point, it makes sense to pour it now instead of moving the heat pump later. He wants to get the work scheduled within the next three or four weeks. If you are interested in doing either your patio or your path, talk to Ben about getting a quote.
Walkway to Common House. Because the concrete pavers leading to the common house have to be lifted and reset every few years to keep it accessible, Management has talked about replacing the concrete pavers poured concrete,.
It's a three-day process, prepping, pouring, and cutting joints, then 3 or 4 days not being able to walk on it. The contractor will wheelbarrow the concrete in.
Owners are responsible for their walk up to the edge of the common path, per the CCR (some people think it shouldn't be, but that requires amending the CCR). The community is responsible for the bricks at the side of the path. The bricks need to be raised in many spots. It's something the community has done before, but it's a labor-intensive job.
Ben is also interested in doing a French drain in his back, which is an area full of rocks underground that water can drain into. One quote for the French drain was $1800.
Originally the bricks beside the path were level with the concrete, but they've subsided over the years (inadequately packed sand? ants excavating?), which has created a tripping hazard on both sides of the bricks, particularly the steel that holds the bricks from spreading out. The concrete pavers become uneven from tree roots, which since they keep growing means resetting the pavers periodically. (Note this problem is not solved with concrete.) In some areas the strip can be pounded down with a big mallet when the ground is soft; in other places tree roots are pushing it up. It might be possible to shave a little off the top of the steel without it failing (e.g., with an acetylene torch).
Will there be a proposal for making the common house path concrete? Concerned about aesthetics. It isn't a change in usage. Possible to stamp or color concrete, although it adds to the cost.
If planning to redo your patio, make sure you know what/where your limited common area (LCA) is. Talk to Management. Anything permanent in your LCA has to be approved by Management; anything outside your LCA needs community approval.
Ask Ben for contact info if you are interested. Ben will check on the price for a square drain for Maintenance Committee's info.
Visitors from Cohousing National Board
Arriving later tonight and tomorrow. Potluck tomorrow night, please come! 6:00-9:00, to talk about why you came to cohousing, why you've stayed in cohousing. They will be here until Sunday. To disturb their workshop less, residents please enter/exit through mailroom or laundry hall.