Wed. August 8, 2023 ACM minutes

Topics: feelings, making tree decisions, committee to do fund raising, storage in common areas

Present:  Laraine, Laura, Lynda, Cheryl, Joe, Jorge, Carol, Lila, Mike, Kay (notes), Robin, Eliza, Ben, Gheybin, Jordan(?), Kerry, Vinnie, Amy

Time/Venue: 7:00-9:00 p.m.  Common house sitting room & online

Note:  Monday August 14, starting 8:00 to 10:00 a tree company will be here to remove the tree next to Vinnie's house, because it is heaving his unit's slab.

Feelings

Presentation by Laraine.  Handouts: list of classes of emotions, anger iceberg, brain structures

Feelings are not just in the head, they are felt in the body.  If you don't acknowledge you are feeling something, it doesn't go away, it goes underground and appears in other forms.  Your ability to hear what is actually said deteriorates when you are upset.  Anger is an expression of a lot of feelings.  It helps manage a feeling if you can identify it and acknowledge it.

Pre-Proposal Discussion about Tree Decisions

Proposed:  All tree-related decisions will be made by the landscaping committee rather than the community as a whole, including planting, trimming, and removal. Removal will only be by recommendation of qualified arborist. Plans will be communicated to the community before being acted on. Draft by Ben.

Community opinions range from advocating removing all the Siberian elms to keeping all trees if at all possible and holding prayer services for any tree being removed.

Concern that Landscaping committee should represent at least a minimum number of households; maybe provision to discontinue policy if Landscaping committee becomes only a couple of people.

Keep people empowered to do landscape projects.  

Create documents that help people, like recommendations on tree species, proper planting techniques, distance from structures.

Concern that the most recent landscaping meeting was scheduled without adequate notice; some people couldn't rearrange their schedules. Concern that this proposal was discussed after some people had to leave.  It was an organizational meeting, agreeing when meetings would be held, that we should create a grid of what gets done when, etc.  [Note: There was six  It wasn't really discussed by the committee; Ben said he wanted to bring a proposal and those lingering said they'd be interested to see it.  --Kay]

Committee to Do Fund Raising

Some people are interested in ways of raising money for the reserve.  Yard sale, bake sale, activities with a suggested donation such as happy hour, karaoke, Roomba wars

Storage in Common Areas

The CCR says "No storage in common areas without written permission."  Many units have small storage sheds, not always in LCA.  There is no (easily found) record of what may have been approved, or not approved. Clearly people feel a need for storage.  Confusion about what exactly is storage:  sheds? benches?  If someone is asking to have storage, could we have guidelines on what may be okay?  Robin estimates about a third of units have some type of storage -- benches, shelves, items kept outside.  Clutter.

This conversation is not about storage that is permanent and/or attached to a unit -- that is an issue for Management to deal with.

The CCR are legalese, partly to keep banks happy. As cohousing we operate under agreements by consensus. Proposals are governing documents, Rules & Regulations.  We need to improve access to proposals that have been passed for new residents to learn and extant residents to review.

This topic will be added to the Storage Bin for additional discussion.

Postponing a couple of topics that were on the agenda until a future meeting.

Committee Reports

Landscaping.  Cheryl is assuming the role of convener.  The schedule going forward will be the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m.  Landscaping invites any and all to join in the work parties we will be having.  Have (estimated) fourteen members.

Maintenance.  Second Tuesday of every month, 7:00 p.m.

Work parties August 12 pressure washing the dumpster enclosures, prior to oiling them on the 19th.  August 12 painting east driveway curb and stencil of Wasatch Commons on driveways.  Will have cones on half of driveway while paint dries on one word, then switch while painting the other word.  You don't need to know what you are doing or need tools to help at work parties.

Common House. 10:00 a.m. second Tuesdays.  Talking about keeping common house cleaner, better ways to collect donations.

Management.  West solar panels are active! 

Robin & Kerry have been getting pictures of stucco cracks & issues.  Had a structural engineer look at the property; waiting for his report. If anyone sees anything they are concerned about, structural issues with your unit, let Management know. 

Jorge oversaw a landscaping contractor doing repairs.  West irrigation water is back on!  Gardner damaged multiple pipes while they were laying the power line from the solar panels to the common house; contractor invoiced those repairs separately and we will be asking Gardner to reimburse us.  Changed east berm valves to ones suitable for drip. 

Linda wishes to step down as book-keeper.   We are talking to accountants; quotes of $400/month.  Still hoping to recruit a book-keeper from the community.

Tree company will be here Monday August 14, starting 8:00 to 10:00, to remove the tree next to Vinnie's unit which is heaving his porch.

Emailed 8/12/23.