Re: Costs for Shared Services [was Shared community internet service
From: Sharon Villines (sharonsharonvillines.com)
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2014 21:53:11 -0700 (PDT)
On Apr 1, 2014, at 11:01 PM, Kathryn McCamant <kmccamant [at] 
cohousingpartners.com> wrote:

> Community laundry, including laundry soap, is free to all members. Our
> theory is that community laundry is the number one thing that brings
> people thru the common house all times of the day and nite, and we want to
> encourage people to use it. 

We've never had this experience. People put their clothes in the washer or 
dryer and leave. Some use the door that directly goes to the outside and never 
come into the CH. The most social people get is folding their clothes in 
meetings because they do their laundry then.

Some communities have a larger laundry room or have the machines in a large 
room with play equipment, etc. Perhaps if we had that they might, but we have 
the living room, kitchen, and dining room within 10-15 feet of the door. Fewer 
than 15 of 43 units use the room and others use it occasionally. Some have 
small units and don't want to take up space with a w/d, and others prefer to 
have two machines so it goes faster.

Also, people don't socialize on the way to or home from work. They go around 
the building to get home or go fast without stopping, or park on the street 
which is much closer to their homes than the parking lot is. An amazing number 
of people do not pick up mail everyday, or even very often. 

People come to the CH to socialize when they come to the CH to socialize. Not 
incidentally to other activities as a usual thing.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org





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