(no subject) | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Ruth Michaels (cohonewbie![]() |
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Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 01:04:04 -0700 (MST) |
Stacia, I was wondering if this has been resolved yet...I am pretty new to cohousing but quite experienced in group dynamics, and I've been thinking about your post since I read it. It doesn't make sense!
It seems like a pretty reasonable request you're making, and I've always thought that cohousers were pretty reasonable sorts of people.
Is your group different? Are they a mean-spirited bunch? Are they so stuck on their own philosophy of "equality for all" that they can't bring themselves to agree to your request?
OTOH, are there perhaps some good reasons that they feel the way they do? You say that some of you are feeling the pinch as project prices rise. Would this not be true of the whole group? If the six of you were compensated for work you've done over the past 4 years, that means that things would be more expensive for the remainder of the group, wouldn't it? Is THAT what is causing the problems? You know, I can understand that...
I do think it is difficult to collect money retroactively for whatever reason. I can see that this may be part of the problem, too. Why hasn't this come up earlier in the process? Is it because all of a sudden you (and some others?) are feeling the pinch and looking for ways to ease this burden?
If this is the case, then I wonder if it wouldn't be better to let the past go (oversights and all) and look more to the future. It sounds like you are still very much involved in the work of the group, and that the group appreciates your work. How do you think they would react to a proposal to create an Assistant Project Manager position and hire you to continue the work you are presently doing? Do they know about your financial difficulties? Perhaps if you explain to them that this would allow you to continue doing the work which you are doing that they might be more supportive, and look at it as a proactive endorsement of your work rather than a reactive one, and one which will benefit the group as a whole. Or do you think that they are just plain too stuck in their "equality for all" thinking even to consider that?
I'd be interested in hearing how this plays out. Good luck! Ruthie ********************************************************************* Stacia Leech wrote on 12 March 2003: From: Roberts Creek Cohousing Roberts Creek, B.C. Canada. <snip>Our group was formed in 1999 and we have some members who have been involved since that time. Some of the members have done a considerable amount of work to bring the project to it's current stage.
To date none of the members have been paid for any of the work.We hired a project manager in October '01 who will see the project through to move in. In addition to the work of the project management some members of the group were and are still, required to put in many hours of work per week. This work often requires the particular member(s) to have certain skills and a willingness to take the time to familiarize themselves with complex issues to do with planning, rezoning, land purchase, legal documents, project financing, subdivision applications, etc.,
In the beginning there was an understanding that members would contribute whatever they could to the development process. The initial group of six core members did not grow quickly and remained at six for about a year, then a couple more joined, then about ten months later a couple more. We now have sixteen equity members (five joining in the past four months).
<snip>Now three years down the road some of those original members find themselves in a financial crunch as the costs of the project continue to rise.
There is no doubt that the work done by these members is deeply appreciated by the group <snip>
This is proving to be a very sensitive topic for our group. With members divided along the lines of "all members are equal and contribute what they can, therefore no one should get paid" and "there is no doubt these members contributed a significant amount to getting the project this far, why not provide compensation to "founding members" if indeed there was an oversight in the beginning".
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- (no subject), (continued)
- (no subject) Fred H Olson, August 12 2002
- (no subject) The CoHousing Company, December 13 2002
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(no subject) Bruce Hecht, February 21 2003
- RE: (no subject) mbaldwin-pidc, February 22 2003
- (no subject) Ruth Michaels, March 19 2003
- (no subject) carolynschlemmer, March 30 2003
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(no subject) Jennifer Young, September 21 2003
- Re: (no subject) Joani Blank, September 22 2003
- (no subject) juliehh, December 25 2003
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