Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Common House Use Guidelines

[Kay Argyle (Kay.Argyle]

Wasatch Commons requires that events with mostly outside attendance have a
resident sponsor and get an okay from the community. 

Some events get an on-going okay. These tend to be ones with multiple
residents involved (a support group, community dances), or that the
community approves of philosophically and wishes to support (community
[neighborhood] council meetings). 

Events with mostly resident attendance have scheduling priority over events
with mostly outside attendance.

"3. No commercial events, ...."
"4. Lessons or classes are OK if the student is a coho resident ...."

Commercial events or classes are subject to the same rules as any other
event. They tend to get greater scrutiny than social events before receiving
a community okay, which tends to be more readily forthcoming if the sponsor
can explain how the event meshes with our community values.

Part of our workshop was originally rented to a resident luthier. We might
be open to another similar arrangement, but not to free regular commercial
use of our facilities.

We have an annual crafts sale, at which some nonresident artists and
crafters have booths. We've hosted field trips from the university, piano
lessons, gardening short courses, and belly dancing lessons.

"6. Only those on a cook team who regularly cook can sign up for meals."

Our experience is that more people are willing to cook than clean up: maybe
"who regularly cook or clean up after meals".

Actually, I would integrate meals with the rest of your community work
system. It is neither necessary nor desirable that everybody cook, everybody
clean, and everybody garden. Let some residents take a double shift pulling
dandelions, some a double shift making lasagna, and some a double shift
vacuuming, according to their interests and talents.

"7. All events will leave c.h. at least as clean as they found it including
doing all laundry, putting away all clean laundry and dishes, and mopping."

Also should apply to guest-room use. 

A detailed checklist is helpful. Some people will whine that checklists are
insulting; tell them to quit discriminating against the chore-challenged. ;)

"2. Requests to reserve c.h. for controversial events should be made at
least one month in advance."

I don't know that we've ever had an event whose subject matter anybody in
the community considered controversial. 

We've got a rule that the community name is not to be used for political or
social activism. It's okay for a political or activist group to use our
common house for meetings (if sponsored by a resident/member), including
putting up flyers identifying the location as Wasatch Commons, but not okay
to carry signs at demonstrations saying, for instance, "Wasatch Commons
against the 9th South Rail Line". 

"4. If most of the people at an event are non-cohos, event organizer is
encouraged to ask for a $ donation."

To _ask_ for a donation? From whom, the attendees? 

How about, "The event organizer is encouraged to provide a donation to the
community to offset utilities and wear-and-tear on facilities."

Our suggested donation for primarily non-resident events is $5/hr. Our
accountant applies this against the common house's expenses, so it doesn't
all count as income (donations ARE income, even if you call them donations).


Kay