Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Access to common areas

[Carol Agate (carolagate]

Since a door isn’t limited to only one code, you can take a month to 
transition. That gives everyone plenty of time to get used to the new code. And 
if your door is one that tracks which code is used you can simply drop the old 
code once the system shows it isn’t being used any more.

Carol Agate 
Cornerstone, Cambridge, MA


> On Jan 18, 2017, at 3:09 PM, Sharon Villines <sharon [at] sharonvillines.com> 
> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>> On Jan 18, 2017, at 8:37 AM, Bob Leigh <bobleigh [at] twomeeps.com>
>> 
>> Why not just change the code or codes periodically?
> 
> I’ll respond as Phillip hasn’t yet and it raises another point — education 
> and complexity: 
> 
> Most systems are not easy to change so someone has to keep up-to-date on how 
> to do it. If ours gets wiped out for some reason (lightning, etc.) it takes 
> hours to reenter all the information — names, telephone numbers, unit 
> numbers. Changing the code is a bit simpler BUT everyone has to be informed 
> in a way that they remember. 
> 
> The inability to get into your front door at midnight when you are tired and 
> frustrated already is not a welcome experience. On any given day several 
> people will be doing triage in one part of their lives or another. If they do 
> remember that the code was changed, they will likely not remember the new one.
> 
> About half our units are entered through the CH keypads first. It’s sort of a 
> hotel lobby, as one of our nanny’s called it. So none of those people can get 
> in or out the moment the code is changed unless they remember it. When you’ve 
> run out to the compost bin with no phone, no note in your pocket, etc., you 
> are out of luck until you are able to get the attention of someone who will 
> let you in. With snow and rain, it can be not pleasant.
> 
> Education and communications become more and more complex the larger the 
> community becomes. Residents are not all together ever. Everyone has 
> different communication styles — reading email once a day, once a week, or 
> several times a day. Or never. Checking or not checking cubbies for a 
> handout. Reading or not reading the community calendar in the front hall.
> 
> Cohousing is large set of a multi-headed tasks. The fewer heads you decide to 
> change, the less likely you are to get bitten.
> 
> Sharon
> ----
> Sharon Villines
> Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
> http://www.takomavillage.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
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