Common House minutes: 2004-02-28

Minutes:

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CH Mtg 28Feb04
Present: becky, ted, mel, jenny, elph, rachel, jeff, melisa, adi, heather, rod
Minutes: elph

Agenda
Jeff - kids room loft plan
kid proofing
Announce Heather meal treasurer
500 number on CH
update on painting
Check deposit box
construction report
meal plan proposal

MONKEY: Mel will look after assuring child safety on dangerous drawers and cabinets in kitchen.
MONKEY: [[Jenny]] will clearly label the address of the common house to aid in deliveries.
MONKEY: [[Elph]] will hang deposit box by Office 1.
MONKEY: Rachel will mention staying out of rooms that are in painting process.
MONKEY: Adi will get bulletin boards for hallway.
MONKEY: [[Elph]] will hang paint color poll.
MONKEY: Ted will make up little signs for fireplace operation.
MONKEY: [[Elph]] collect keys.
MONKEY: [[Rod]] and [[Elph]] will give equipment orientation.

Jeff and kids cmtee has come up with a plan for a loft.
on left side of the front half of room at 7 ft. ladders w handrails
removable in future - yes with drywall repair
will not block window
railings will meet deck code
structure as related to c of o - wait? meet all known code?

DECISION: Okay, CH cmtee approves the construction of a loft as long as it meets code. However, it has to wait until we have clarity around C of O. Construction cmtee will report back after next Friday.

Kid Proofing

Storage of dangerous substances
Drawer and cabinet locks for children
opening side of pantry door - maybe on left?
Issue of making it inconvenient for adults
Okay, put child proof tabs on only dangerous drawers and cabinets
Not a huge investment - we can remove if it is inconvenient
MONKEY: Mel will look after assuring child safety on dangerous drawers and cabinets in kitchen.

Safety of fireplace for children?
The controls are 6 feet off the floor. There is no way to access the flames. Could be an issue of parent education.

Do we need to do a common house usage policy?
No running in common house? No screaming or shouting outside of kids room? Do a walkthrough of common house with kids explaining each room?

While the common house cmtee does not feel it appropriate to make policy around child behaviour in the community in a vacuum, we would like a parents group to address the issue of child norms in the common house, including but not limited to running and screaming, cleaning, and kitchen use, and general safety.

MONKEY: [[Jenny]] will clearly label the address of the common house to aid in deliveries.

MONKEY: [[Elph]] will hang deposit box by Office 1.

Painting update

Becky found Office 2 needed a gallon and a half.
Caulking nail holes is ineffective - propose use wood putty.
Trim seems to need lots of primer /paint
Painting trim first is the easiest way.
Kids contribution in painting the kids room was welcome, but not elsewhere in the common house, please.
Note: we have to stain the columns in common house.

MONKEY: Rachel will mention staying out of rooms that are in painting process.

Issue: We need to paint to the quality level that we would at least like to have in our own home, or better. The key is to get the best results. Can Amy give us written tips on painting. Like doing two coats.

Paint color of dining room - should we reconsider?
We can't change everything - there will always be someone who doesn't like it.
The dining room needs to have another coat.

Proposal: Let's put up a checklist on the wall asking whether people like this color. Then let's pick three colors that we can agree on and poll for opinion from the cmty on those. If we have a clear direction then let's move ahead from there.

MONKEY: Adi will get bulletin boards for hallway.
MONKEY: [[Elph]] will hang paint color poll.

Construction report

We got furnace and fireplace and thermostat and given to adi for scanning.
Smoke detector system that will shut down air flow. Next to dining room thermostat.
Kirk has been having a lot trouble getting our closet doors. May sub solid doors.
Fireplace instruction was given.
Coat racks - we may need to buy more racks for children.

MONKEY: Ted will make up little signs for fireplace operation.

MONKEY: [[Elph]] collect keys.
MONKEY: [[Rod]] and [[Elph]] will give equipment orientation.

Concern about coat racks being slippery.
Getting child height hooks underneath the existing hooks
More coat hooks behind west entry door

Issue: Shoes off in middle of hallway is a problem. Sigh.

Review meal proposal
* We like the percentage of full price instead of the set price for children.
* The meal bank account will need a serious cushion if we are going to reimburse once a week but only collect once a month.
* The proposal should mention that alcohol served at meals will be on a "cash bar basis", ie, cost separate from meal billing.
* It is good if cooks can fill out menu well in advance since it affects how many people sign up which affects the cost per person. It's a significant 'driver'. Suggest one week in advance.
* Proposal looks good to us.

Next meeting: review lockup and lights
and thermostat.