Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Facilities Management

[Ken Collerman (kcollerm]

We have 34 units with about 60 adults, 30 children, 5 dogs and numerous
cats. The number of children, dogs and cats keeps changing.

We only hire out for jobs we cannot do easily ourselves.

1) Quickbooks is used for accounting and budgeting.

2)  We are using Communi-Link documents (with instructions (text, diagrams
and pictures) and responsibilities) and Communi-Link calendar events for our
repair/maintenance tasks. The Building and Maintenance Team coordinator
collects and posts repair/maintenance information.

3) For community events we are using the Communi-Link calendar as well as
paper calendars posted on the individual doors of the rooms in the common
house where the events are to take place.  The Communi-Link calendar has the
detailed information.  Meals are also posted on the Communi-Link calendar,
however, signup is done in a book located on a table in the common house.

4)  Announcements about events or work to be done are made via voicemail,
Communi-Link and on a bulletin board in the common house.  Occasionally,
Yahoogroups is used for announcements. (Some people are still learning to
use the world wide web, for example, a blind person in our community).

5) No inventory of common items is kept, yet.

6) Parking spot assignments (including vehicle descriptions and license
plate numbers) are maintained on a Communi-Link document for quick lookup
(ex. Who's in my spot!). Parking spots are numbered and two parking maps are
posted at the entrances to the parking garage.  A sign-up sheet in the
common house is used to indicate spots that are temporarily free (ex. left
for vacation).

7) Responsibilities are identified in Communi-Link documents (ex. who has
what key; who is responsible for the plumbing repairs, who to call when...).

8) Pictures and stories about community events are in Communi-Link
documents.

9) StarOffice (http://www.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/5.2) or Word and
Excel are used to create documents and make budget presentations.

10) A garden activity white board is used at the garden door to show garden
maintenance activities.

11) We may purchase a used laptop in the near future to run Quickbooks and
to run Communi-Link in meetings.

We also have local area network connected to the Internet via a single cable
modem. We installed the LAN ourselves.  Every home has a computer.  Most
members are using PCs.  A few are using Macs.  Also, a few members of the
community are learning how to use computers. Absolutely everyone is
proficient at using paper and pen.

Windsong was built about five years ago. However, we still have a lot to
learn about managing our community.

I hope this information helps Ann.  If you want more, feel free to ask.

Ken Collerman
Windsong Cohousing
Langley, BC

Check out http://www.communi-link.com
and the free office software at
http://www.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/5.2/get/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ann Zabaldo" <zabaldo [at] earthlink.net>
To: "Cohousing List" <cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2001 2:47 PM
Subject: [C-L]_Facilities Management


> Hello all!
>
> Takoma Village Cohousing is a 43 unit community here in Washington, DC.
We
> have a large physical community w/ about 55 adult members.  The
overwhelming
> number of adults -- 34 -- are single person households.  Only nine
> households have more than one adult (this does not count households w/
> renters.)  This presents us w/ some interesting challenges.
>
> I am interested in finding out what *tools* built communities are using to
> manage their facilities.  A tool can be anything from paper and pencil to
> computer software (do please name the software!) to a professional
> management company.
>
> We've had discussions on this listserv before about the efficacy of using
a
> property management company in cohousing.  That is not my concern here.
>
> I'm more interested in finding out *what* items are being tracked by
> communities and how it's being done.
>
> For instance, who tracks *repair schedules* and how?  (We have an elevator
> so I track this and I do use paper and pencil.)  Who keeps track of *items
> reported for repair*?  How is this information kept? (e.g. an individual
> keeps the list in a file folder or notebook; or, maybe it's not tracked at
> all.)
>
> So...some categories to look at are:
>
> bills/budgeting/income and expenses
>
> tracking maintenance and repairs
>
> community events (calendar)
>
> inventory for common items e.g. filters for CH HVAC, soap, toilet paper,
> paper towels, etc.
>
> Other categories?
>
> Could you also include the name of your community, esp. if it's not in
your
> signature line, the number of units in your community and the number of
> adults?
>
> Please reply to the listserv.  We can compile the answers (w/ our trusty
> paper and pencil!) and report back to the listserv.
>
> Mega thanks!!
>
> Ann Zabaldo
>
> Takoma Village Cohousing
> Washington, DC. -- America's
> Hometown!
> zabaldo [at] earthlink.net
>
>
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