Cohousing-L Mailing List: News from Arbco

[Ann Maria Bell (annmariabell]

We've celebrated a lot of important milestones at Arboretum Cohousing  
recently. At the end of August and the beginning of September we  
marked the 2nd anniversary of the purchase of our land and the 1st  
anniversary of moving in to our new buildings. We've also hosted  
several neighborhood meetings and a workshop on cohousing in honor of  
The Village Cohousing's tenth anniversary in our common space. We had  
a great turnout, and it was the first opportunity for people from all  
three cohousing groups in Madison (Village, Troy Gardens, Arbco) to  
meet and share experiences. Our development consultant, Steve  
Silverberg, and Greg Rosenberg, from the Madison Area Community Land  
Trust, gave a sesson on developing cohousing, which was attended by  
some forming groups from Milwaukee and northern WI. (Photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/arbcophoto/CohousingWorkshop 
 )

Our gardeners have been busy harvesting as the cold weather sets in.  
Our communal plot, "The Farm," did well in its first year, especially  
considering the soil condition after construction. I think I saw  
someone out there with a pickaxe this spring, trying to loosen the  
soil in advance of the tiller! We've also kick-started our common  
meals, moving away from potlucks and into a regular schedule of  
prepared meals on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and a potluck on Sunday.

We recently closed on our 38th home (of 40) and paid off our  
construction loan to our primary lender AnchorBank! While it took  
longer than we anticipated because of the downturn in the real estate  
market, overall we were very successful in managing our finances  
during the development process, and it looks like we'll be able to add  
a few more things to our common space. We are negotiating a long term  
rental of one of our remaining homes, but we still have one home for  
sale, a cute, single-family bungalow with 2 bedrooms and lots of room  
to expand in the basement and attic. Learn more on the web:  http://www.arboretumcohousing.org/homes.php 
 or contact us at info [at] arboretumcohousing.org or 608.229.7906

We've just about overrun our storage limit at picasaweb, but more  
photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/arbcophoto

Cheers!
Ann Bell