Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Construction Phase Workload

[Cohousing-L listmgr (fholson]

RowenaC from Cambridge Cohousing in Cambridge MA rowenac [at] worldnet.att.net
is the author of the message below but due to a problem it was posted 
by the Fred the list manager: owner-cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org
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I'll be interested to see the responses you get on the Construction Phase.  

Cambridge Coho is just about to start on the process you describe as the
"Danish Model."

 The foundation is under way, the first prefabricated houses and
apartments are rolling off the assembly line (while the designs and
upgrades for the later units are still being finalized!), the Bylaws are
being analyzed and argued over, the common-house is still being redesigned
and furniture is being chosen, landscape architects being interviewed, the
possibility of home day-care is under consideration (at least we're
planning the playroom with that in mind), and we still haven't decided how
many bike racks we need in a city which is full of cyclists. To add a
little tension to the chaos, we are negotiating with two banks who want to
finance the construction but haven't closed yet; we've managed to pay cash
so far, but the coffers are now empty!  At least we seem to have plenty of
interested prospective members to fill the two or three units still not
spoken for. 

 We hope to start moving in by mid-summer and to have all 41 families in
place by the fall.  It is totally frantic right now and I don't see it
getting much better for a couple of months.  After which a whole new set
of issues will rise to the top of the pile: Rules and Regs (the notorious
pet discussion!); should we get someone to instruct us in cooking for 60
people;  who's going to keep the books; and so on....The only reason I
have time to dash this off tonight is because a committee meeting was
cancelled on account of the Blizzard.  And someone wants to know how come
people are not writing to the list as often!! 

Another reason you may not hear much from Cambridge Coho is that we have a
very lively "in-house" list where we throw out ideas and discuss them in
free-floating way which we can't really do at our General Meetings because
of lack of time and the large number of attendees (usually most of our 38
households are represented at General Meetings, some by more than one
adult, plus some prospectives also join in).  We also have a terrific
Newsletter in which someone is likely to summarize discussions from
cohousing-l which bear on current issues. 

By the way, Cohousing is still creating a lot of interest here in the
Northeast.  There are lots of new core groups looking for the perfect
site.  No sign that it has peaked yet, I'm glad to say. 

RowenaC from Cambridge Cohousing in Cambridge Mass.  (Talking about a
boring name - it just can't compare with Cornerstone, Commonweal, New
View, Pioneer Valley - the names of other coho groups in our fair
Commonwealth!) 


RowenaC from Cambridge Cohousing in Cambridge MA rowenac [at] worldnet.att.net