Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: how we use the common house

[Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah (welcome]

Yup, yup, and yup! RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA. 
We've had our common house 13 years now and have evolved policies (articulated 
by our Common House Operations committee) that handle much of this stuff. 
1. We don't rent out except for member-sponsored (sponsor-present) events. At 
very modest fees, like $10, this still brings in $2000 a year, applied directly 
to our operating costs (heat, utilities). This week someone had a talking 
circle on possibly renting every Sunday morning for a year to a local religious 
group: those gathered were not interested in thus going "out of house" into a 
rental mode. We prefer to have it available for the occasional brunch, retreat, 
or other gathering.

2. We have a sign on the door that says visitors should have a member with 
them. Sometimes a member is late, even to a band rehearsal or such where they 
are supposed to sponsor. People do occasionally wander in, but it hasn't been 
often or a problem. 

3. We ask that any furniture or equipment be offered via the committee, and NOT 
just dropped off. Member's art efforts aren't always loved by all, but go up 
rather ad hoc, and mostly they are only up for a finite period. The main room 
furniture is always to be re-set to dining mode, unless we know the next event 
in there is a dance or such. 

4. We have good quality bulletin boards (Forbo brand, pricey but worth it), 
four of them. One is mainly local events and flyers. 

5. We do have meetings and workshops, but the only inspirational postering is 
our Principles, and our consensus process. 
6. We thought we'd have more quiet hang-out use, but mostly it's used for 
larger group activities such as meals, meetings, sponsored events, dances, 
parties. One smaller room is used for watching videos, committee meetings, and 
sometimes private conversations. 
7. Kids are the area of least agreement. We used to say kids under 13 needed 
adult supervision. But especially once we put a video monitor in the small 
room, kids congregated there anyway. Parents were ok about not having a 
community rule. So it is uncontrolled. Our youngest is 7. Most of them know 
they aren't supposed to be in the kitchen and pantry on their own. (Must be 
mice eat the leftover ice cream?) 

Maraiah Lynn Nadeau
PS Last night the CH had a weekly art group working at the pingpong table in 
the Rec room, a couple watching a movie in the small room, and a dozen mostly 
twenty-somethings at a member-sponsored "fusion partner dancing" event, 
swooping around the wooden dining room floor with just the twinkle lights on; 
in the late afternoon I was in the CH doing kitchen laundry, adding some new 
mailbox labels; 2 committees met in the afternoon; the front porch has boxes of 
onions, shallots, squash, and beans from the garden. 

On Aug 28, 2013, at 3:16 AM, cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org wrote:

> One or more people believed that the common house, largely the big central 
> room, was:
> 1. A source of income so condo fees would not be so high and the CH would pay 
> for itself.
> 2. A hotel lobby where people met other people and is open to strangers 
> sitting around waiting for them. A largely impersonal space but looking 
> presentable at all times.
> 3. A place where people hung out and their stuff hung out. Anyone could add 
> furniture, put hangings in the windows, paste signs on the walls and windows, 
> rearrange the furniture, etc. Invite friends in to drink beer and kick back. 
> A big college dorm room.
> 4. A distribution point for literature for very worthy cause that anyone in 
> the community supported and a center for all these groups to meet. A 
> community activist center. (In DC, this is a lot of groups.)
> 5. A center for therapy-like gatherings and events. Where the community came 
> together to discuss and support each other in personal growth goals. These 
> goals would be written down and posted on the wall. 
> 6. A great room like those in big Victorian homes where there was a 
> fireplace, dining table, reading nooks, games, etc. Several seating areas. 
> Cosy and rather quietly supporting parallel activities.
> 7. A gym-ike room where children could run around and yell, ride tricycles, 
> play pingpong, loud music, etc. Raise all the hell they couldn't raise at 
> home or in school. And without parental supervision.