Community Village Meeting

View past minutes here

Proposed Agenda - November 11, 2009

Consensus
Beloved Community
Green Zone
Prep for Stand-for-Council
Capital Improvements

---

EVALUATION MEETING NOTES:

2009 COMMUNITY VILLAGE EVALUATION

 

15 of us convened on August 23, at the Village green at 10:30am.  Council members included: Paul Sass, Keith Herchberger, David Hoffman, Janet Tarver, and Lois Inman.  I, Jen-Lin, had been asked to facilitate, which I did until 11:50 at which point I left to prepare to facilitating the Fair’s Evaluation Meeting.  Thanks to Sue Theolass for facilitating the end of the Village Evaluation Meeting which lasted until 12:30. 

 

It was not my intent to host a bitch session, nor that we solve all of the concerns raised.  Rather, I intended to use elements from Open Space Technology, a unique form of group facilitation, which we/the Fair have used since the early 90s.  Open Space is based upon Four Principles and One Law.    The 4 Principles:  1)Whoever comes is the right people  2)Whenever it starts is the right time  3)Whatever happens is the only thing that could have and 4)When it's over, it's over.  And the one law is The Law of Two Feet, passion bound by responsibility.  It is a dynamic process in which the participants create the agenda.

 

I’ll also steal a term I learned from Bill Ganser, the Fair’s Secretary, “continuous improvement.”    I charged those present to list topics for the Village’s continuous improvement.  Hopefully, we, with Council’s facilitation, will address these topics over the course of the next year.  And, if you’re the one who raised the topic or have interest in it, you will shepherd its course of action.  We did have some time remaining after drafting an extensive list.  The discussion on those topics will follow after the list.

 

SEPTEMBER GENERAL MEETING SCHEDULED

AGENDA:  1)CV RESTAURANT 2)COMMUNITY BUILDING

Finally, I agreed to collect written feedback regarding the restaurant which I will compile and distribute to Council.  Email: arielden@hotmail.com or slow mail Jen-Lin Hodgden 176 N Grand Eugene OR 97402.  The group also agreed to hold a general meeting beginning with a potluck at 6pm on the second Wednesday, September 9, at “Keith Herchberger and Carolyn Gsell's home. The address is 571 Dublin Ave, Eugene Or. 97404 you may use map quest or google to find the location. The agenda is set with two agenda topics and they are Village Restaurant evaluation and consensus for continuation as the Village Restaurant, and creating community throughout the year with events that will improve attendance at village functions and meetings thus creating a stronger community

 

The Continuous Improvement List

…aka next year’s agenda as presented in order of those sitting in the circle…

 

·       Construction -- Infrastructure wish list with corresponding plans (i.e., benches) The Group W bench tilts forward til folks slide off or dig in their heels…And, no, we really don’t want a rocking bench!

·         Construction -- Improved communication with OCF construction crew re red-flagging

·         Traffic Flow, specifically restricting flow in front of the stage during performances  and generally in front of Health & Healing and Intentional Communities.  Also, better define the Yurt’s placement as it affects Wild Edibles.  (where should the Yurt door be sited?)

·         Timeliness & Accuracy of Forms and paper-based info.  The original contact sheet was inaccurate and confusing.  Some booth coordinators were upset because they did not have necessary info that was supposed to be delivered in a coordinator’s packet to pass on to their booth members.  Rather, they were pulled out of booth breakdown. 

·         Whose dog is it? In response to council’s thinking that they should take back jobs (detailed and time-consuming ones such as camping, registration, admissions) that they performed in the past (15-20+ years ago), they need to do the jobs they currently have.  Council members shouldn’t let council members shirk their assigned and claimed responsibilities.

·         Establish & use the database.

·         Teach our children well.  Village youth receiving a Teen Pass participate as responsible members of the village by attending one work party and one Sweep.

·         Eligibility review.  If group passes, then eligibility is extended 3-5 years.  Individual participants of the group may vary unless booth coordinator knows reasons to put an individual on probation or expulsion (similar to Fair guidelines)

·         Cargo transport, Eugene to OCF.  Demonstrate new system and create incentive to bring fewer cars on site.  Also, keep those vehicle stickers out of the general pool…

·         Waddle fence clean up in the Meadow.  Accumulated years of debris washed in by the floods as well as an old structure collapsing in upon itself is limiting actual growth in the green space as well as limiting camping space.  Where does the debris go once it is cleaned out?

·         Correct web and calendar updates

·         Moon Lodge needs info on the contact sheet

·         Dust prevention barrels.  Do we need more?   Where should they be placed?   Behind booths?

·         Hand washing available in Little People

·         Green space preservation vs camp expansions

·         Fire buckets with burlap.  We need more; many of ours disappeared throughout the Fair.  Screen/paint CV name/logo on buckets…

·         Paint booth number and signs directly on booth posts.  The temporary signs disappear.  Booth numbers are necessary for OCF identification in case of emergency.

·         Increase member participation in CV/Build community.  Distress that so few are present at the evaluation meeting.

·         Post a map of CV Booths at village entrance

·         Revive the Town Crier or use Greeters on the path

·         2010 Construction:  1)Arts Booth--post and beam replacement, 2)Intentional Communities Booth—straightening out the list/s, 3)Wild Edibles—complete rebuild, 4)new OCF Construction Guidelines re ‘Tightening Down Booths’ and pulling up decks which allows the wood below to dry will eliminate many other issues.

·         Participation Equity.  Little People members work 20 hours from set-up to de-con.  Some members observe how little energy members of other booths put in.  It is disconcerting.  One solution, Little People would like more passes…

·         Have OCF Cartography accurately name the sitting area next to the restaurant.  It is currently included with the restaurant…  What is its correct and permanent (for now) name?

·         Model the Zero Population Growth (ZPG) pledge.  Bob remembered making that pledge 20+ years ago.    Jain joked that Little People could post, ‘your first two kids are welcome!’  after that they would send the parents to Health & Healing for condoms and birth control education.  In all seriousness, she added that Sue Barnhart does sit down to talk with some parents who arrive with many kids in tow.  (still joking, guys, ya better watch out.  Sue just might start her new business when she retires, “Sue’s Home Vasectomies”!  She’s been talking about it for years.  She & I even created a Public Service Announcement for the Shy Person’s Talent Show!)

KUDOS

·         Kudos from Bob Fennessey to his dependable stage crew.

·         Kudos to those who took action during the Mud and the rain to keep us safe and happy

Thank you for bringing in the straw.  Thank you, Paul Sass, for escorting people down the slippery path to the Six-packs.  Thank you, Steve Lambott, for setting up the fire ring and keeping a hot fire all day around which folks could get warm.  Thanks, Kevin Young, for raising a tarp over Little People’s entrance and greeting parents and helping to keep Little People open all day. 

·         Kudos to Youth Power who assumed the Waste Warrior’s role and staffed the recycling kiosk next to Little People

 

DISCUSSION

·         Straw cleanup 

Jain expressed concern about the straw remaining from Sunday’s mud.  David & DeCon, using a leaf blower, blew much of the straw off of the grass.  A rake would be more damaging to the grass roots below the surface.  Steve Wisnovsky (the Site Manager) has said the current piles in the booths are ok.  They will be flushed out with the floods.  The remaining straw should compost where it is.  Steve will core-plug affected areas and spread grass seed.  No further action is needed at this time.

 

·         Bamboo placement

Even tho’ David has lovingly nurtured the bamboo pots and creates new ones, do we have too much.   A straw poll conducted on-line earlier this year seemed to think not.  Yet there remains confusion about where all of it should go once the forest arrives in the village during Main Camp.  Jain initially took some for the front of Little People until someone pointed out that it was placed in ‘stroller parking’.  She then moved it near Arts whereupon they decided it was out of place as well.  Then it was moved to join other containers and create a blind around the bench at the edge of the village green.  But, there was concern that it blocked vision of Co-op Fruit from the E 13^th…  Some of us, myself included, came to appreciate the enclosed bench and the new perspective it afforded.

 

David said the Master Gardeners take what they need and the rest is available for village use.  Why bamboo?  Bamboo is prominent in Asian art and culture.  It is known to produce a peaceful energy among those who walk through it.  It’s an energetic thing.  It is also used to break up the architectural lines. 

 

Solutions(?):  1)Create a general map of where bamboo does and doesn’t  go each year. (even if exact placement may vary),  2)Ask booths whether they would like any bamboo that year  (perhaps, hold bamboo placement session during On-Site meeting.  People could represent containers of bamboo and we could all visualize  traffic flow, booth visibility, etc…), 3)your great idea here.  Jain joked that we could create a CV version of Punk’d.  Move the bamboo pots to different spots/configurations before David wakes up in the morning!

 

What to do with the excess bamboo?  David is wary of lending it out beyond the Village.  The containers need daily water monitoring.  Each container of healthy adult plants is quite valuable.  Unsavory thieves might walk off with a pot of gold.  Perhaps, it could be sold as a fundraiser?  David agreed if the funds go to Master Gardeners. 

 

·         Traffic flow

As one approaches the stage from the west side of the Community House...  The bench was intentionally placed to impede the parade of traffic between the stage and the audience.  The bench was also moved out of the way during non-performance time to allow full traffic flow.

 

As wonderful as the acupuncture treatments from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine were, their setup restricted traffic flow and impeded access to other booths or other booths’ demonstration space.  Possible solutions:  1)communicate with neighboring booths including Master Gardeners, 2)use part of the History/Sitting booth (work  with Laura from Workshops & Demos) 3)review number of allocated day passes

 

---

 

In the midst of sparkling crystals, aromatic foods, and a river of people rests an island of idealism, the Community Village. At the heart of the Fair, Community Village promotes social and environmental awareness by providing a forum for the free communication of ideas. The process of putting The Village together is as significant as the end itself, as we organize cooperatively through consensus decision-making.

Since 1976, we have grown from a modest display of appropriate technology to a community involving the energies of individuals from over 90 organizations.

Village Guidelines Here