Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: co-ownership maintenance

[Rob Sandelin (robsan]

We have a sign up list in the commons which lists all the tasks which 
need to be done (actually this is about to be re-engineered again but 
the process will be the same). The task list is set up yearly with a 
space for each month  and so tasks get signed up for and accomplished 
(hopefully) by the sign up schedule.  Maintenance is just another sign 
up task, although we have two guys who are motor heads and they tend to 
do all the motor related work (oil change, work on the truck, etc.)

I am going to lobby to re-engineer the sign up sheet so that it is done 
quarterly and that one of the tasks people can sign up for is to be 
task master - the person who holds the whip on those who sign up.  One 
thing which tends to happen in the summer is that some of the inside 
tasks (like filing for example) tend to get ignored.  Might as well 
just drop them from the summer quarter list and go pull weeds instead.  
Also the task list tends to be static, where-as tasks are dynamic and 
changing.  I for one think we need to reassess the number of tasks at 
least quarterly so they make it on the list.

We also have a problem with follow- through. People sign up, then 
forget they signed up and the task goes undone.  I think a task master 
would solve this.  This is usually only a critical problem for 
childcare at meetings if someone signs up and forgets we end up with no 
activity or child care for that meeting and that causes problems.

I also see that when construction work starts on the commonhouse we are 
going to have to punt many other tasks, there simply will not be energy 
for them and this needs to be monitored.

Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood