Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Workdays

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Mar 22, 2022, at 7:46 AM, Patricia Lautner <lautnerp [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> At JP Cohousing in Boston, we have 4 outdoor work days per year, two in the
> spring and 2 in the fall. We require a minimum of 4 hours per work day and
> folks can buy out but are encouraged to not do that.

How much do they donate if they don’t attend? Who handles this — taking 
attendance and charging people?

We have had as many as 4 units empty during the pandemic for various reasons. 
One is that people are spending the summer months with relatives, etc., to 
avoid the city. The same thing is likely to happen this summer. Right now one 
is in rehab for several months. Another is a FEMA volunteer for disasters and 
doesn’t take continuous tasks because she could be called up at a moment's 
notice. Another unit is empty waiting for probate court to settle and estate. 
One unit was empty for months because the new owner was redoing everything and 
it took forever for her contractors to get supplies and then correct deliveries 
of broken or wrong items. Our least physically capable people volunteer for 
more tasks than our seemingly hale and hearty people, so that isn’t the issue. 

Some of us are just wondering if we need a monetary disincentive to leave units 
empty for more than a month’s vacation. Some people who are fairly inactive on 
a day to day basis are at least there in emergencies.

> We also have a Community Life ‘work day’ every winter. That’s usually a
> dinner and recommitment ceremony on Friday evening, and a morning work shop
> the next day that focuses often on common values-although the theme changes
> each year.

This is fascinating. After 22 years, I’m feeling like we need to have a focused 
restart on values awareness. That handing over jobs to a management company may 
seem like a more efficient way to get the building exterior painted but 
efficient for what? Disconnection?

What are some of the topics of the morning workshop?

> Finally pre-pandemic we had a 4 hour indoor deep cleaning work day annually
> to spiff up the common house (but we have professional cleaners come
> monthly all year as well.)

What do the professional cleaners do? 

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