Kawashaway Community Circle Notes

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Circle Date

November 20, 2004 – H’s place, Duluth

Future Circle Dates

Present

~H, ~Teddy Bear, ~Braeburn Blue, Miracle, White Ash, Ehsea, ~Two Bears, ~E!ureka, Kiva, ~P*lln

~ indicates Steward

(6/11 – hey! That’s a sure dang quorum!)

Agenda

• Penny and the Quest Personal
• property at gatherings
• Update on Gravel, total cost
• Gathering (Thanksgiving, Solstice, Spirit) planning
• Financial Update

Old Business

• Database/Communications Ad-Hoc Committee Call

The committee met and looking at different options. Came up with two or three possibilities to handle changes, went over different pros and cons, and it is unknown the actual cost as of yet. Will be meeting next Tuesday. A mailing will be going out in January to find out who wants to stay on the list and what data they want to share. Accessibility: the hope is to have the list be accessible to people but secure enough that the list doesn’t go out to those not involved in the community. If someone wanted the list to invite people to a party, for example, two different people would have to request the list (the original person and someone to back up the reason). E! asked if the committee was discussing the ways we communicate. How do we communicate? What is the purpose of this list and what is it used for? How do we build a system? We want to clean up the process to find out what people really want communicated to them and in what form. We’ll be surveying people to see which form they prefer. If we change the bylaws to allow electronic communication totally, we’ll make sure that people know that also.

New Business

• Penny and the Quest

There was a discussion about how one person in the community decided to do a major activity without first discussing it with the community and how it greatly affected the whole. Celebrating the individual is a shared value, but when it impinges on the wider community, it becomes an issue. What level of accountability do we have for each other in the community? The Quest tested our emergency conflict resolution process, which is in place, but which did not get activated effectively. Although not everyone was affected by what happened, people didn’t feel empowered to take care of the rest of the community because everyone was worried about Penny. There were control issues – mystery about how it was happening, and withholding of adequate information about Penny's situation, Plan B, etc. People with knowledge of hypothermia were concerned for Penny based on the unusually cold and wet weather. It would have been nice to have informed consent from the other people at the gathering. If something had happened, and government officials and press come on the land and/or pursued the larger community, it is possible that they could have held us accountable, which could greatly strain our community. There was a suggestion to put wording in the gathering Call guidelines on how to talk about the duty of care at the gathering. Duty of care requires everything ‘reasonably practicable’ to be done to protect the health and safety of others. Individual plans affecting the whole community language are to be put in the next gathering Call along with how personal liability/responsibility for what you do and a reminder that the whole community is affected by your actions. Conflict resolution could have been used. The Call includes wording that abuse, including emotional abuse, is not allowed at the gatherings. E! suggested that more people read the conflict resolution papers before gatherings (ie: Stewards, Call preparers, etc. ).

• Personal Property at Gatherings

BearBerry had a ritual piece in the Cabin that disappeared. White Ash's magazine got thrown away amidst friendly circulation before he could finish reading it himself. Eureka's towels have been used by others. People are leaving stuff in the dining hall and not reclaiming it. Ideas for bettering these situations are:

• Call a moretoreum throughout Gathering on throwing away, burning, removing, or displacing objects that might belong to someone (except when they are in the way, it starts to rain, etc.).
• Encourage people to please make sure they use their own towel.
• Place a lost box in the cabin and the screenhouse or designate an area to put found stuff in.
• Encourage people to mark their stuff (ie: clothespins and sharpies).
• If something is left on the Land after a gathering, then it’s considered public property and can be dealt with as such.

• Land update

Oni did the majority of the work. Four big loads of gravel were delivered in October. They dragged it out and spread it. Also there’s a pile is on the end of the circle drive (blocking). This pile can be used in the future for the drive or for filling potholes. We got 67 cubic yards of the gravel (at $15 a yard), with no charge for delivery. We may need to get more. Oni said this morning there was a possibility of getting more gravel at like $3 a yard if someone with a truck that can be used to get it can help. The gravel that was laid needs to be compacted numerous times, as it’s starting to hump up in the middle again. Plln thought what we got did a good job of transforming the drive from what it was. Maybe at the end of next summer we need to revisit the issue and see if we need any more gravel. $1462 was spent on the pantry. In July, $479 for the cedar for a total of about $2,000. Two and a half sides are shingled and the interior still needs some insulation. In the future, we want to put in vapor barrier, and whatever interior finish for walls (ie: thin plywood). Also, a second window on the dormer might be planned. This will be a multiuse bldg in the future.

• Thanksgiving gathering

Kiva and Stella are planning to leave Thursday morning after Stella gets off from work. Dinner on Friday. Kiva & Stella may be there until Sunday. There was mention wondering if anyone is planning on going up to the land for the Winter Solstice in December. After the Thanksgiving gathering, can someone report on the woodpile, propane supplies and stove workings?

• Spirit Gathering

Has anyone started planning the Spirit Gathering? White Ash and E! have had a few discussions. Miracle is a co-planner. Do we want to have it at Kawashaway again? On Memorial Day or at a different time? We received $500 in seed money to start the gathering this past year and made a surplus. There is $579.60 still in the acct so we don’t need seed money for this coming year’s gathering.

• Financial Report

The numbers look really good. White Ash suggested savings by opting for a 2-year payment for web hosting and domain registration. H was thanked for the layout on the Summary of Financial Activity form as it’s very easy to read. Sounds like historically over the last 2 or 3 years, we’ve been in the black with registration moneys. Teddy wanted to compliment Kiva on his pantry diva duties. Good food choices, not many leftovers. For specific figures, please contact H.

• New Wagon

Teddy proposes to buy another heavy-duty wagon by May 15th. The one we have has been used extensively and it would be helpful to have another one. Braeburn will research prices and functionality by February.

Forward to Next Circle

• Gathering Call Language to include Duty of Care
• more tbd

Action Items

Submitted by Ehsea

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