Cohousing-L Mailing List: How do the committees work in your community?

[weigel (sweigel]

Greetings! I am a new member of couhousing-l and involved in the 
RiverRock Cohousing (Martinez Park Cohousing) group which is just
gearing up to break ground in Fort Collins, CO. Being in Colorado
we have had the opportunity to visit different cohousing communities
and see them in action.

What I am hoping to get feedback on is how your community deals with c
committee participation.  We have several new members who are not 
currently active with committee work, and there is lots going on.  Some
communities we visited have a requirement (eg membership on a primary
and secondary committee), some rotate members among committees, and I am
sure there are other approaches.

Our membership and marketing commmittee is interested in how we can 
increase involvement at the committee level, but we are not sure if
we feel it appropriate to mandate participation.  Of course the issue will
soon go in front of the entire community, but I was hoping to get some
input from what has worked (and has not worked) in other places

To give a feel for our size -- we will have 34 units on completion, 4
different unit types ranging from 1 br to 4 br, with potential to increase
space with finished basements.  I can`t recall the current count, but my
recollection is aroung 90 persons, with a few units unsold.  So there will
be a significant population when we are all together.

Also of interest, the question of renter participation in committees.

Thanks for any input
Stephanie
sweigel [at] lamar.colostate.edu