WASATCH COMMONS EXPECTATIONS AND CUSTOMS

Following are some of the activities, procedures, habits, customs, and terminology that have developed at Wasatch Commons. This document is under construction and subject to change.

By choosing to live here, we choose to participate in the ongoing project of building community. Everyone who lives at Wasatch Commons is expected to participate in group processes, maintain individual and common property, and respect WaCoHo customs. We expect residents, to inform guests of our expectations and customs while they are visiting.

PARTICIPATION

We are a small community and count on your participation. Participation includes attendance at social gatherings, potluck meals and work parties, as well as the informal support of friends and neighbors.

All-Community Meetings (ACMs)

ACMs are held one Sunday and one Wednesday of each month. Meetings last for two hours, 7 pm to 9 pm on Wednesdays and 3 pm to 5 pm (Summer) on Sundays. Community-wide business is addressed at ACMs. These meetings also are an important way to stay aware of community concerns and keep in touch with neighbors. Adult members are required by our bylaws to attend at least 50% of ACMs.

Committees

All adult members of the community should actively serve on at least one committee. See more detailed description on the following pages.

Work Parties

All adults are required (and kids are strongly encouraged) to participate in work parties. Ideally, work parties occur once a month. Members should attend at least two a year.

Work Teams

Adult residents are required to serve on a work team for two months each year and each will be assigned a team. Work team tasks include cleaning the common house, mowing, and shoveling snow. The monthly team is responsible to keep the common house clean the entire month, not just a work party one weekend. If you can't fulfill your monthly team assignment one month, you may swap months with someone else. Let the team leader know who will sub for you.

Common Property and Other Work

Residents are strongly encouraged to perform two hours of work every month that benefits the community. Maintenance requires regular attention to a variety of tasks. Among other benefits, by performing this work ourselves, we minimize our condominium fees. Individual members may take on tasks like bookkeeping; construction; common property repair; food co-op coordination; event planning; community bridging; document production; cleaning; planting; pruning; painting; and countless other activities. If

you cannot fulfill your expected two hours (per adult resident) of community work per month, you can honorably meet the requirement by paying $40 per month ($20/hr). This money can be used to hire someone to fill in, either someone inside the community or outside. Approach Becca if you are interested in such work.

COMMITTEES

All committee meetings are open to any resident of Wasatch Commons. A resident takes minutes, which are posted and emailed. Under special circumstances, such as a need to maintain confidentiality, a committee may request one-time permission from the community to hold a closed meeting.

Joining a Committee

Adult residents are required to belong to at least one active committee (see Participation Agreement). A resident of Wasatch Commons may join any committee, with the exception of the Management Committee, which is elected during the Annual Meeting. Regular attendance at meetings is strongly encouraged, as it aids the work of the committee. Non-attending members maybe dropped from a committee. Committees should make every effort to find a meeting date/time on which all residents who wish to attend may do so.

Forming a Committee

Any resident may start a new committee. To start a new committee, request time on the agenda of the all-community meeting (ACM) to discuss the reasons for forming the new committee and what its mission would be and to solicit residents to join. Doing this through the formal proposal process is encouraged.

Ad Hoc Committees

Committees may be formed to accomplish a specific task and be disbanded when the task is accomplished.

Committee Budgets

Committees are allotted funds in the annual budget. Budget requests should be submitted to the Management Committee in November.

Purchases and Reimbursements

To purchase an item or service for the community out of a committee budget, the committee agrees on the purchase and notes the consensus in the minutes. The receipt is submitted along with a reimbursement request to Management Committee. If the purchaser is not a member of the committee, a committee member should sign the reimbursement request. If the purchase is over $20, the reimbursement request should be signed by a member of the committee other than the purchaser and not a member of the purchaser's own household.

SOME CURRENT COMMITTEES

Management

Management is the only committee to which community members are elected. This committee oversees the legal, financial and maintenance business of the community. Five home owners and one renter's representative are elected to serve two-year terms. The committee then appoints a President, Secretary and Treasurer from among the elected homeowners.

ACM Planning 

This committee gathers topics for upcoming ACMs, trains and prepares Facilitators.

Conflict Support

This committee was established to assist members to resolve conflicts.

Celebrations

The Celebrations Committee administers the community calendar, offers support for all community events, and is responsible for calendaring private events.

Welcoming/Orientation

Organizes and presents orientation packets to new members and helps with several outreach events each year, answers
inquiries, gives tours to prospective residents, maintains Facebook page. Answers inquiries, gives tours to prospective residents, maintains Facebook page.

North Field (Farmette)

Meets as needed to plan and prepare for season.
The North Garden Circle farms a large portion of community property in the northwest section of the community, for use by community members.

(East) Garden Club

Open to residents who garden in the "east garden", the area north of the east driveway. Most beds are private; that is, production is kept by the resident(s) who raises it.

Under Utilized Spaces

Reclamation of Underutilized Spaces Committee takes cluttered areas or unused space, and either returns it to its former glory, or creates a new, functional space for the community to enjoy. We clean and organize, do light repair work and occasional hauling or painting as needed.

Safety and Security

Meets frequently but informally.

Landscape

Planning and work parties meet as needed. Responsible for maintaining grounds.

Maintenance

Works to repair, replace and maintain the physical integrity of the community.

Common House

Maintains and recommends replacement of Common House space and furnishings.

Parents

Parents is a loosely organized committee made up of--you guessed it--parents and grandparents. Kids are often encouraged to gather for these meetings, as well.

ADDITIONAL POLICIES AND GENERAL INFORMATION

Social Events in the Common House

Any resident may arrange an event to be held in the Common House. Events whose attendees are mainly nonresidents should be announced as soon as possible to allow for any concerns or questions to be answered by community members. Private events in the Common House to which all residents are not invited may be held, but are not encouraged. Community events take precedence over nonresident events.

There are four calendars: dining, white-board, reservation, and email. If your event will use the sitting room, dining room, or kitchen, to avoid scheduling conflicts, check the dining and reservation calendars, and write your event on those. You also may submit it to the email calendar. Events that are written on the paper calendars have precedence over events-that are not, including events submitted to the email calendar. Reservations are usually first come firstserved.

Reserve-the room(s) needed on the paper calendar by the mailroom door (host, unit number, event, rooms, dates & time) and email the information to the Google Calendar group.

Guests

A guest may park in any uncovered spot in either parking lot. Request multiple guests to park their cars on Utah Street.
Reserving Rooms in the Common House

Residents of Wasatch Commons may reserve the upstairs Guest Room or the "Second" Guest Room (down the hall from the kids' room) for visitors. Residents are responsible to ready the room before and after their guests, including washing and changing sheets, cleaning the bathroom, and vacuuming.

To reserve one or both of the guest rooms, write the reservation on the paper calendar in the, communication center by the office and email the information to put on the internet calendar. See the guest policy (House-Rule-3/28/01).
Communication, Information, Announcements, Invitations, and Emergency Alerts

It is important to communicate certain matters to everyone in the community. We use the white board in the mail room for regular announcements and reminders, as well as for urgent notices. Additional means of informing everybody in Wasatch Commons about something are to:

1. Post event notices on the bulletin board in the mail room,
2. Post information on the bulletin board in the common house communications center (by the staircase),
3. Tape-a note-on everyone's door (the best method to avoid missing anyone),
4. Put a note in everyone's file folder (called "internal mail") in the communications center
5. Include it in your check-in or make an announcement in ACM,
6. Call everybody,
7. Or, send an email to wasatchcommons@googlegroups.com
   

Use the Gong or Whistle for Emergencies

In emergency situations, a member can bang the gong or blow the whistle that comes with each unit to alert the community; therefore, children should not be allowed to play with the gong. We also use the gong in front of the Common House to indicate the commencement of meetings, meals, and parties.

Potluck: Every Sunday at 6:00 pm. Everyone helps cleanup afterwards.

Cleanup includes rinsing your own plates and the serving utensils used to serve your own dish, brushing crumbs from your place (or sweeping under the table in some cases), checking on the playroom if you have children with you, and making sure trash and composting are removed if you are the last one in the Common House.

Children

SPECIAL GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN: Young children should not leave the property without adult supervision. This includes not going onto Utah Street. Children should be supervised or sponsored by a designated adult while in the Common House. If a parent is not with the child at a meal, the child should be sponsored by another adult. Parents, supervising or sponsoring adults should be sure to help children clean up after themselves, particularly in the play room.

Room above the Workshop and Garage

This currently houses workout equipment and may be used by any adult in the community.

Pets/Companion Animals

With the exception of service animals, animals are not allowed in the Common Buildings. Owners are encouraged to spay or neuter their pets.

CATS: To keep bird feeders from being turned into cat feeders, neighbors are encouraged to bell cats or keep them indoors.
DOGS: The owner of the dog is responsible for cleaning up the dog's droppings. Residents and visitors are encouraged to keep dogs on a leash or within an enclosure when outside. Dogs should not be-allowed to roam the property.

Charges

CONDO FEE: The condominium fee varies according to the size of your unit. It is due the first of every month. See the community Treasurer or Bookkeeper for payment options.
LATE FEE: A late fee of $25 will be charged if the condominium fee is not paid by the tenth of the month. Please contact Management before the first of the month if you have a problem.

Non-Running Cars
All cars must be registered and in operating condition.

New Residents
New or prospective residents should receive an orientation.

WASATCH COMMONS FACILITIES

Common Facilities

KEYS: New residents need four keys: (1) Their house keys, (2) their mailbox key, (3) the Common House key, (4) the Common House office and workshop key. Residents may also want the "old" Common House key, for most interior Common House doors (most of these are not locked). The interior room of the office, where records are stored, is a key with limited distribution. Residents are requested to give the Management Committee a key to their house, to be kept in a locked key box inside the interior room of the office in case of an emergency situation.

WORKSHOP/GARAGE: Children must be supervised in the workshop. Most tools in the workshop are privately owned. Ask the tool-owner's permission before borrowing. Persons desiring to use the power tools must be trained by the tool's owner. Garden tools in the garage, while also privately owned, typically have been made available for general community use.

LAUNDRY: The laundry room is at the end of the kitchen hall in the Common House. If a washer or dryer is in use, you may leave your basket to hold your place in line. If someone else's load has finished, you may take it out and put in the next load in line. Leave a note on the machine stating your preference that your wet clothes be put either in the dryer or in your basket, if you are uncertain you will be back promptly at the end of the cycle.

For fire safety, check the lint trap when you put a load in and empty it when you take a load out. Laundry detergent may be kept in the laundry room on the shelves opposite the washers. Clearly label the container with your name. Remember that front-loading washers require less detergent than top-loaders. Periodically check the lost-and-found laundry basket on the shelf opposite the dryers. If a load of common house linens (kitchen cloths, table cloths, towels, etc.) is waiting on the washer, wash them using the detergent labeled "Common House." The-laundry facility is for the use of Wasatch Commons residents and authorized guests only.

GARDEN: Private or shared plots are available in the east garden. The East Garden Club encourages raised beds, drip irrigation, and organic pest control. Bed tenants are expected to control weeds in their bed and the surrounding paths. Label all private equipment - put· names on hoses, shovels; or other tools. The garden is the responsibility of the Garden Club; not the Landscape Committee (the membership may overlap). All beds should be cleaned out by Oct 1.

EXERCISE ROOM: The exercise room is upstairs above the workshop. Those who use it should help keep it clean.

COMMON HOUSE: The common house is kept locked when not in use. Please relock doors as you enter or exit. A resident on the monthly work team is responsible for securing the common house at night, conducting a sweep of the building, checking for intruders, closing doors, and turning off lights. Children must be supervised while in the common house.

Smoking

The Common House, its porches (with the exception of the back/southwest porch), the Common House lawn, the workshop and garage, the garden, and the central path are all no-smoking areas. Smoking is permitted on the back or southwest porch of the Common House, in the parking lots, and in private units. Please don't smoke on the common path.

Noise/Quiet Hours

Quiet hours start at 9:00 p.m. and end at 8 a.m. Please use quiet voices outside and avoid use of noisy equipment during this time. Summer quiet hours are 10:00 p.m. Remember many bedrooms face the common path and voices carry easily.

Environmental Concerns: Reduce, Reuse; Recycle

RECYCLING: Waste to be recycled is collected in the blue plastic containers provided by a private company. They need to be taken out Sunday night for early Monday morning pick up. And empties need to be brought back to the property. The wooden enclosure west of the Common House is for glass recycling. Only residents who are physically challenged should put the glass in this enclosure, All others are encouraged to take the glass to the public recycling center south of Jordan Park near the Peace Gardens on 900 West and Freemont Avenue.

Suitable materials for recycling for the plastic bins include aluminum, clean cans, cardboard, newspapers, office (ledger) paper, glass, plastic milk jugs, and other plastics. Rinse food containers to prevent pest problems. Flatten cans and plastic containers.to conserve space.

COMPOSTING: Composting is encouraged. Check with community members who have compost bins near their units before adding to them.

Suitable wastes include vegetable or fruit scraps, cereal products, eggshells, coffee grounds, shredded paper, small amounts of grass or leaves, human or animal hair, dryer lint, or natural fiber rags (cotton, ramie, linen, viscose, etc. also rayon). The smaller the pieces, the better.

Do not attempt to compost meat or meat products, dairy products (milk, cheese, butter), high-protein foods, weeds, plastic, anything oily or citrus.

CHICKENS: Many of the same items that can be composted can also be taken and fed to the chickens. Current guidelines for the chickens include feeding them most vegetable scraps except onions, garlic, banana peels (unless finely chopped), avocado skins or pits or citrus products. (Egg shells are OK if cleaned and ground or smashed into small pieces (larger, lightly broken shells encourage chickens to peck at eggs).

Attached: 5Expectations&Customs.pdf