Mosaic Commons Minutes 8/19/01

Minutes of Mosaic Commons General Meeting
August 19, 2001 , 3:30-6:30pm

Location: Parmenter Community Health
Present: Dave, Catya, Rosa, Kim, Richard, Lisa, David H., Jean, John, Judy, Roxanne, Kai, Pascal, Zach
Notes: Dwight
Facilitator: Rosa

Decisions:

We require all Associates and Members to have read and understand the decision log, and that if
they need more information they should turn toward the minutes and the mailing list (This removes the requirement that they read all the minutes, which is overwhelming)
Committees will now be called Teams
Decision Making document approved with the exception of section 6c which will be proposed and
revisited.
Lisa Lally became an Associate

Action Items:

#	Committee	Open Date	Update	Person	Description
1	Affordability	07/15/01		Kim	Will talk to asssistive financing groups 8/19 ongoing
2	Affordability	06/03/01	08/19/01	Lisa	Research affordability facilitation groups 6/17/01 - most organizations don't seem to want to allocate funds until you're ready to break ground 8/19 Ongoing
3	Affordability	06/03/01	08/19/01	Lisa / Rick	Talk to Kathy about philanthropic funding 6/17/01 - Cat sent her email, but hasn't heard back. 8/5/01 - Cat will send Lisa and Rick Kathy's email 8/19 Catyabad... will do it.
4	Coordinating	08/19/01		Catya	Find out if September 30th is a good date for a retreat.
5	Coordinating	07/15/01	08/19/01	Catya	Post to the national list asking about Loans to the LLC. Take the questions from the minutes, as well as ask the finance folks in VT about it. 8/19 - Have done it, haven't heard anything back yet
6	Coordinating	08/19/01		Catya	Add a lighter to the bag o stuff.
7	Coordinating	08/19/01		DavidH	Work on the decision making document, rework 6c to clarify.
8	Coordinating	06/17/01	08/05/01	Kai	Work on the wording on Unit Selection 08/05/2001 - Reviewed at meeting - has this been approved?
9	Coordinating	08/05/01	08/19/01	Rosa	Rosa will rework the consensus statement 8/19 - Meeting points out that the first draft needs to be reworked into 2 seperate paragraphs. An introduction to the consensus process and why we use it, and a practical 'this is how we implement it at MC'
10	Coordinating	08/19/01		Rosa	Draft up a phrasing of the child participation in consensus document to be entered into the decision log - note in decision log "Children participate in consensus, regardless of age." (Feb, 2000)
11	Coordinating	07/15/01		San	Start discussion on the mailing list about reactivation of membership.
12	Coordinating	07/15/01	08/05/01	San	Redo the FAQ's. 8/5/01 - Cat started it, San will look at it again.
13	Finance	08/19/01		Dwight	Find out the absolute 'cost' of the cohousing books, to level the cost structure between intro meetings and main meetings.
14	Finance	06/17/01	08/19/01	Dwight	Make sure the LLC stuff gets to the Sec of State 7/15/01 - Sec of State has cashed our check, but we haven't gotten confirmation yet. 8/19 - still waiting for the Seal (orp orp!)
15	Finance	06/17/01	08/19/01	Kai	Research information on mortgage pre-approval scheduling 8/19 Research is ongoing
16	LandSite	08/19/01		Catya	Create a new list for mosaic-landsite on Yahoo
17	LandSite	06/03/01	08/05/01	Dave	Finish getting the Concord report into electrfonic format and distribute it 6/17/01 - resend 08/05/01 - Reassigned to dave. Git on it.
18	LandSite	06/17/01		Dave	Get back in touch with the Concord Housing Trust 8/19 - Ask chris is this is for us to pursue.
19	LandSite	06/17/01		Dave	Contact Jason re: Energy Star
20	LandSite	06/03/01	08/19/01	Dave	Will maek initial contact with Kevin Hurley to see whether he will work us and how 8/19 Will restart
21	LandSite	08/19/01		Dave	Contact Chris to schedule next conference call.
22	LandSite	08/19/01		Roxanne / Dave	Ask chris if we need to get information on assessors, and what we need to do to help.
23	Membership	08/19/01		Catya	Ask kelly where does her concern about 'revisiting issues' come from?
24	Membership	08/19/01		Catya	Cat will draft a phrasing for removing the requirement for reading the entire minute log, and adding phrasing regardign referring the decision log back to the meeting minutes.
25	Membership	07/15/01		Catya	Ad in the cohousing journal - display ad - didn't do it with ourmembership, can we implement it. 08/19 - Everyone at the journal is -very- slow - fatigue from the conference Still working on it.
26	Membership	08/19/01		John	Help out with meeting in October.
27	Membership	06/03/01	08/19/01	John/Judy	Research local AARP chapters 7/15/01 - Reaffirmed 8/19 - still trying to get information - Cat found 'MM' magazine?? 8/19 - Reassigned to John and Judy
28	Membership	08/19/01		Judy	Judy will help the meeting on 9/16/01
29	Membership	06/03/01	08/05/01	Kai	Write up examples of the items we need to have included in the Operating Agreement for our group to review at the next meeting. 6/17/01 - still in the works, need to slate a time to do this, it'll take half a meeting to work out the details 08/05/01 - First drafts presented and discussed - still going on.
30	Membership	07/15/01	08/19/01	Kim	Will do the followup to fliers. Christie and Jean offered to help. Approximately 180 calls. 8/19 - Problems getting onto Yahoo groups. Should we still do it? Yes, keep going.
31	Membership	08/19/01		Rosa	Rosa will help the meeting on 9/16/01
32	Membership	08/19/01		Rosa	Make a note in the 'rules' about becoming an associate and an equity ember on the same day. - also, put together some sort of 'sponsor' mechanism?
33	Membership	06/17/01		San	Go through the discussion list subscriptions and do pruning where necessary.
34	Membership	08/05/01		San	Put together a document describing ow to get on the YahooGroups stuff
35	Membership	08/05/01		Steph	Put together a 'members handbook' for new people
36	Professionals	08/05/01		Catya	Cat will ask Chris if Framingham is worth pursuing, regarding the article that Steph found that Roxanne forwarded to him
37	Professionals	08/05/01		Catya	Ask chris if he sent the letter to Framingham 8/19 Sent mail to kelly, asking about roxannes article
38	Professionals	05/20/01	08/05/01	Dwight	Call the developer that John Abrams has recommended 08/05/2001 Reassigned to Dwight from Cat
39	Secretary	08/05/01		Steph	Steph will set up a database to keep track of when members/associates join
40	Secretary	06/03/01	08/05/01	Steph	Get the old documents from Lisa 6/17/01 - Steph wrote email today, waiting to hear back. 08/05/2001 - Steph will call
41	Secretary	08/05/01		Steph	Steph will work on protocol for distributing documents.
42	Secretary	06/03/01	06/17/01	Steph	Check on cohousing-L for any pointers on maintaining momentum between meetings 6/17/01 - Cat hasn't drafted it - mostly tryign to get the question organized. Steph will take over

Discussion:

1. Opening
Question for ingathering: Would you like to be famous? In what way?

2. Discussion/consensus cards
Rosa clarified the discussion/consensus cards.

3. Approval of Minutes from last meeting
They were sent to membership

Catya is working with Steph to get her the ability to post the minutes herself.

Missing Debbie and Paul Dormitzer, and their kids Justin and Jeremy, from last minutes.

Catya recalls that bills go out on the first, paid by the 15th, but Steph shows that as being under
consideration; everyone recalls that it was decided.
DECIDED: approved with changes

4. Approval of Agenda
approved

5. Land search discussion:
Sites seen Tuesday

Rosa: Every site she saw in Acton was good, thinks consensus will be easy.
Dave: Ecstatic with some, ok with others, trying not to get excited about the big farm on the dead-end farm, which several people drove by later to view.
Cat: Likes the site next to New View the most, mostly because of the view, really glad we hired Chris.
Kai: Not much to add, hopes we can get Chris to figure out what's up with the new Fham site. Got bitten by mosquitoes.
Roxanne: ecstatic to be going around to see land, least happy about the Maynard site and the one-acre site. Not as happy with the wedge triangular site, would love to be next to New View.
Richard: All was peachy.
Lisa: Most happy with the horse farms, great to see forward movement.
Jean: didn't like little one, liked the farms.
John: liked all of them, didn't like the little site near the railroad, and the little triangle one might require too much fill, could really see himself at the farm, loved the idea of being next to New View.
Judy: mostly what John said.
Dwight: what John said.
David H: liked next to New View, liked two horse farms, leaning toward smaller one due to expected reduced price, thought unexpected one in Maynard because price might be good, not the triangle one, site C on Martin Street he liked, CDH, Maynard
Kim: basically the same as others.

ACTION: Dave to schedule next conference call.

Lots of expressions of interest in the Framingham site, and desire for Chris to followup.

6. Action items
Coordinating: No report.
Finance: Reported early incentive standings to all equity members.
Affordability:
Land/Site: Catya: Sent note to Chris about Framingham, and about Nobscot development, nothing
heard back yet. Dave: Called Concord Housing Trust twice, nothing heard back, think we should ask
Chris whether we should proceed. Roxanne: needed someone to do assessors' evaluations, RT
volunteered to do this. Yay.

7. Review of Committees
Coordinating: San & Cat
Sub: Secy: Steph
Membership & Marketing: Cat, Rosa, Kim, John, Judy
Sub: Diversity: San, Rosa, Lisa L.
Sub: Website: Catya, Dave
Finance: Kai, Dwight
Sub: Affordability: Lisa, Rick
Sub: Treasurer: Dwight
Land/Site: Dave, Christy, Roxanne
Professionals: Cat
Sub: Legal: Kai, Dwight

8. Committee reports:
.Cat proposes that we change the requirement for Associates to have read the minutes, to a
requirements that they read the decision log. John says he thinks the minutes are important as a way
to get nuances and background. Dave proposes we suggest that the minutes be read, but not require
it. Rosa fears that people will ask questions during the meeting that will slow things down. Dave
agrees. Roxanne thinks it's important to mailing. Dwight asks whether the decision log has pointers to
the minutes. Catya: proposes that we require people to read and understand the decision log, and
that if they need more info they should turn toward the minutes and the mailing list.
DECISION: approved by consensus.

Book prices: Cat proposes that we regularize the book cost regardless of which meeting they're sold
at. Dwight proposes that we just charge $15.: ACTION: Dwight to research cost, report at next
meeting.

Kelly has concern about policy to revisit decisions related to development issues, such as contractor
instructions. Cat proposes that we mull this over a bit and decide at next meeting. Rosa clarifies:
members can request that decisions be revisited at next meeting if they were absent. Dwight points
out that it's unclear exactly what Kelly's concern relates to. ACTION: Kelly will be asked by Catya.

John: There's been some ambiguity about the membership process: Does it require sponsorship?
engagement? Does one have to become an Associate before an Equity member? Cat clarifies: both
can be done on the same day. John recommends that we put a clarifying statement in. ACTION:
Rosa will draft this clarifying note and speak to the sponsorship. Judy: doesn't want to step on any
toes; was wondering how it would come up.

Cat suggests that we call the committees "teams" instead. DECISION: passed.

9. MEMBERSHIP:
John and Judy signed as Associates. Yay!
David H. requested to sign as an associate (and Dwight originally took his money) but Rosa raised
the fact of his ineligibility as he has not fulfilled the requirement of one month's activity including
action items, with the group, so his check was returned. He has, however, signed the Associates'
statement and this was not struck. David H. agreed to take action items and get more involved.

10. Bios exercise for new members
Judy Dempewolff:
Wrote a biography and handed to Catya.

John Barrett -
I'm John Barrett, I've been in New England for 25 or 26 years, and am originally from Kentucky. I
received my bachelors from the University of Kentucky and then spent 4 years in the Air Force. I
went to grad school at Northeastern in Rehab Administration, and spent a lot of time working
deinstitutionalizing state schools and several years working in community mental health. I then
moved into the business sector for about seventeen years and am now working on my own doing
training and consulting.

I live with my wife Judy in Natick. The kids are out of the household. I heard about cohousing from a
couple sources - first from Judy, but also heard about the concept at the Omega Institutes for family
week and met people there who were involved with it.

My biggest hope for cohousing is that I can get involved in a multigeneration living experience. I don't
want to spend my later years in life with only people my age. I want the richness of being involved
with all ages, including children. The one thing everyone should know about me - I'm very concrete
and specific. ESTJ.

My hobbies are exercise, running, including 4 marathons (but will do no more marathons). I used to
make jewelry and would like to get back to that sometime. My other hobby is geneology research.

11. Decision procedures
.Catya distributed a document on "Decision-Making" last revised at May 2001 retreat. DECISION: all
sections were approved prior to this; section 7 is approved; section 1 will be rewritten by Rosa
(ACTION). ACTION: 6c will be redrafted and sent to the list for discussion by David H.

12. Prior decision review
.Kai distributed the Moderate Sliding Scale Proposal (slidingscale.html) and it was explained and
discussed. This is already existing policy.
.Kai then explained what our policy is related to children. Two sentences used at intro meeting: no
age limit is placed on consensus participation either upper or lower; participation is based upon prior
preparation. Financial decision concern doesn't really obtain: though anyone (including a child) can
block, this might throw the issue into the voting procedure, where votes will be by household. Dwight
requests that we dispel ambiguity related to determination prior preparation. This was extensively
discussed and Dwight withdrew his concern.

13. Upcoming dates and future agenda items
Next General meeting: 9/16!! Not before!
Next Intro meeting: Cat will lead, and Rosa and Judy will help with the 9/16 intro unless Cat is
unavailable, in which case Rosa will lead it.
John will help with 10/21 Intro meeting.

San proposed a social for 8/26, but this has been moved for the weekend after labor day due to lack
of interest in 8/16. Add dates away to the Yahoogroups calendar, everyone, please!!

Items for next meeting:
- Add back New Business, including New Membership
- A FULL MEMBERSHIP DECISION is required at next meeting to consider the equity membership of
John and Judy, so if you need to proxy, do so in a timely manner.

14. Review of meeting:
- Rosa did a great job facilitating

Last modified: October 14, 2001