Re: Coin- or card- operated laundry machines | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Ann Lehman (annzimmerman-lehman.com) | |
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:08:41 -0800 (PST) |
PDX Commons just started in August 2018. I believe we have a lease which covers repairs. We currently do not pay for use or detergent. Ann Lehman Governance and Gender Consultant Zimmerman Lehman*forging futures for nonprofits **http://zimmerman-lehman.com/ <http://zimmerman-lehman.com/> *510.755.5701 (Mobile) ENEWS Subscribe to our free e-newsletter,ZimNotes <http://www.zimmerman-lehman.com/subscribe.htm> or find us on: TWITTER <http://www.twitter.com/alehman> LINKEDIN <http://www.linkedin.com/in/zimmermanlehman>FACEBOOK <http://www.facebook.com/zimmerman.lehman> On Tue, Feb 20, 2018 at 1:56 PM, Susan Coberly <susandgeorge [at] gmail.com> wrote: > At first move-in in fall 2008, we had people's donated machines in the > laundry room. They began to break down and coho was paying for the repairs > to keep the donated machines going. In 2009-2010, I believe, we leased 2 HE > stackable sets. Now we have 4 HE stackable sets. The lease cost includes > maintenance and repair. Around the time we began to lease machines, we > instituted a charge. I cannot remember whether it was at the same exact > time. To institute a charge required a consensus decision by the community. > As I recall there was at least one upset household since when forming and > building and adding new members we had thought the use would be "free". > > I estimate that currently about 1/2 of the 28 household community uses the > machines regularly. Others use the machines sporadically, because home > machines break down; sometimes it rains and wet clothes cannot be hung out > if one does not have a dryer. Additionally the machines are used for > Common House use, e.g., common meal linens, guest room linens (these uses > also accrue the same charge per wash and dry load, billed to the coho). > > We charge 25 cents per wash load and the same per dry load. Currently that > includes HE detergent (non scented) and dryer sheets (ditto), as well as > water, electricity, gas. We request that 2, marked, sets of stacked units > be for people with pet allergies (dander and hair). We have not raised the > rate although that could occur down the line. > > We use an honor system. > > I am currently the laundry tally person and it takes a little over hour per > month to make sure the record sheets are on the clipboard, retrieve the > full ones, and tally and email results to Residents list and the Treasurer > and Finance team. Laundry use costs are billed quarterly, as are common > meals. The Treasurer took pity on me about a year ago and created an excel > spreadsheet so I don't have to use a hand calculator and a Word document. > > The honor system has its pitfalls - yes, sometimes people forget to "jot > down" their use; yes, sometimes people mark down the # of washes and forget > the # of drys. When a wash but not dry (or vice versa) is recorded, I > email that resident to confirm their use. We may lose a very small amount > of money by people not recording their use, but ... > > Tokens or change would also have their pitfalls. someone would have to > empty and bank the coins, provide and empty tokens if used, the token/coin > slot could get jammed, etc. etc. And I am not sure whether it would or > could happen here, but someone in another city recently said the police > found numerous broken-open coin operated machines when investigating a > burglary ring - the miscreants had carted off whole machines in order later > to pry open the coin slots at their warehouse. This seems like an extremely > labor intensive way to get quarters, but most everywhere the charge is $2 a > load..... > > Having this function in the common house is a great way to check in with a > neighbor or three while using the machines! It is one of many great ways to > make sure the most expensive piece of cohousing - the common house - is > used! > > Further, I agree with the folks who've written that this cohousing-borne > expense is no different, really, than commonly-operated bike storage, > children's play room, the common lawn, etc.... our needs and desires will > fluctuate over time in the community. We do have a small per load charge, > so the laundry use is not completely coho-subsidized. > > Best, Susan Coberly (who does not have her own machines) > > LaQuerencia aka Fresno Cohousing, Fresno California > _________________________________________________________________ > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: > http://l.cohousing.org/info > > > >
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Re: Coin- or card- operated laundry machines Susan Coberly, February 20 2018
- Re: Coin- or card- operated laundry machines Ann Lehman, February 20 2018
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