All Public Agreements (140 results)
The Great Oak Cohousing Association Book of Agreements is our collection of what others may describe as their "condominium documents". They are an extension of our Master Deed and Bylaws. As described in our Bylaws, we use a consensus decision making process, while using our vision statement for guidance. Our state incorporation papers and subsequent updates are also available on the State of Michigan's website.
Below is a select list of documents we have chosen to share with the public. We hope this may help other communities, or educate prospective members. Also, this web application software is available for download under an open source license.
| Committee | Date | Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process | 2026-01-21 | Committee Effectiveness Agreement with Convenor and Member Responsibilities | A revised Committee Effectiveness agreement to strengthen the Great Oak committee system by giving specific direction to committees on how to effectively function and fulfill their mandates. This is intended to institute best practices for committees to follow in three major areas, namely Committee Mandates, Roles and Responsibilities, and Questions, Concerns, and Controversial Decisions. Section A (Mandates) contains updated content; the rest of the agreement dates from 2019. |
| Membership | 2026-01-01 | Prospective Buyers and Renters Education Agreement | This agreement replaces prior ...??requirements...?? for prospective buyers and renters with voluntary educational recommendations, reflecting legal guidance that the association cannot mandate participation before purchase. It encourages prospects to learn about cohousing and Great Oak through activities like reading materials, attending tours, meals, and meetings, and having in-depth conversations, so they can assess fit and community expectations. The goal is to attract informed, engaged residents while balancing the risk that added steps may discourage some potential applicants. |
| Process | 2025-09-03 | Proposal for Community Nights | Replaces most Alternative Meetings with Community Nights |
| Grounds | 2025-09-03 | PROPOSAL FOR THE PROCESS REQUIRED FOR THE USE OF NON-ORGANIC HERBICIDES | Changes the master deed to allow non-organic herbicides |
| Finance & Legal | 2025-08-18 | Proposal to Shift Selected Responsibilities from GOCA to Owners | This proposal will shift some of the home maintenance cost responsibility from GOCA to the homeowners. |
| Common House | 2025-05-19 | Laundry Room Use Policy Update | Updates the policies for Common House Laundry Room Use |
| Finance & Legal | 2025-03-17 | Amend the 2015-03-16 Late Payment of Association Dues Policy | Revises the late payment policy, there is a current fee of $25 if late, and there is a threshold of three months in arrears before legal action is needed. But since the last MAF increased so much, the threshold is no longer three months. We want to give the three months leeway back. Also changing the definition of "dues" to include special assessments and EV charges. Instead of $1000 of arrears to trigger the lien, we want to change it to $1800 in arrears to place the lien. $2800 would be the new threshold for when to begin legal action. |
| Finance & Legal | 2025-03-17 | Proposal to use 2025 Funds for Master Deed Skills & Thrills Weekend | 2025 Skills & Thrills Funds for Master Deed Weekend |
| Grounds | 2025-02-17 | Proposal to Update GO Bylaws Wording about Use of Non-Organic Products, Particularly Herbicides | Change of wording in the Bylaws to allow use of non-organic pesticides |
| Great Oak Community | 2024-11-18 | Great Oak 2025 Budget | The Great Oak 2025 Budget was consensed on during the 11/18 GO Community Meeting |
| Great Oak Community | 2024-11-06 | Reserve Fund Proposal | Great Oak will conduct another reserve study in 2026. Details in proposal below. |
| Process | 2024-08-19 | Skills & Thrills Facilitation Proposal | Training will be offered as part of the Skills & Thrills process to help increase the number of facilitators in the community |
| Membership | 2024-07-15 | Alumni Membership Role | The intention of this proposal is to provide a formally defined way for former members to stay connected with the Great Oak community. |
| Process | 2024-07-15 | Master Deed Revision Proposal and Blocking Process Proposal for the Book of Agreements | Aligns the Master deed with our current practices around blocking |
| Process | 2024-05-20 | Proposal to Alternate All-In-Person & All-Remote Community Business Meetings | We propose to alternate in-person and virtual community meetings instead of being all virtual. |
| Great Oak Community | 2024-01-17 | Health and Safety in the Common House | We have a number of policies that are out of date; this proposal is attempting to bring us up to current related to COVID and communicable diseases as we currently understand |
| Finance & Legal | 2024-01-17 | Proposal to Increase Three-Bid Threshold | This proposal is being brought forward to change the dollar threshold above which 3 bids are required. For 20 years, that threshold was $500, and the F&L Committee is proposing to raise it to $2500. |
| Great Oak Community | 2024-01-17 | Reimbursing Touchstone for the use of their Common House | As a result of the current state of the Great Oak Common House, it has been necessary to ask to borrow the Touchstone Common House. We would like to help them recover some of the costs of doing this. |
| Great Oak Community | 2024-01-17 | Proposal to Fund Mold Remediation - Part 1 (A) | The ad-hoc committee is seeking to spend up to $30K to hire one of the 4 remediation companies as soon as possible. The decision about which of the 4 to hire will be based on the thoroughness and quality of their proposal, how responsive they are to work with, as well as price. This dollar amount is a little over the high end of the current bids. We expect that once the inspector...€™s protocol is updated, the number may change slightly. To be clear, this dollar amount is ONLY for the remediation work. There will still be costs associated with redoing the floor, redoing the walls where drywall is removed, painting, cleaning air ducts, temporary storage, etc. Costs for those items will come for approval in a separate proposal, at least to the CH committee. |
| Finance & Legal | 2023-12-18 | F&L Proposal to Move Unspent Funds to Savings | We have been in search of a new lawyer, been working on the master deed among other things. Our previous lawyer just stopped answering us. We didn't spend all our funds in 2023 and realize we will need that money in 2024 with our new lawyer. So we are asking to move the operating budget amount of $1600 from 2023 into a savings account that we can spend in 2024, in addition to the money we have set up in the 2024 operating budget. When we started budgeting for master deed work it was pre pandemic and rates have gone up, and new lawyer rates are higher, but we had already set the budget for 2024. |
| Great Oak Community | 2023-10-16 | 2024 Great Oak Budget | The annual budget and discussions for Great Oak for 2024 |
| Great Oak Community | 2023-10-04 | Community Meeting Day Adjustments Proposal | To align current actions with Great Oak Policy, instituting a policy to not have meetings overlap with several holidays and move meetings off of important dates of MLK day and sometimes Juneteenth, Yom Kippur, or Passover. |
| Great Oak Community | 2023-09-06 | Kitchen Redesign Proposal | This agreement gives all of the information leading up to the consensus on the Common House kitchen redesign proposal |
| Membership | 2023-02-20 | Proposal to clarify prospective member requirements | Clarify the wording on member requirements around attending community meetings |
| Great Oak Community | 2023-02-20 | Proposal to Upgrade the Infrastructure for Future EV Charging in all Great Oak Garages | The proposal outlines a plan to upgrade the infrastructure for future EV charging in Great Oak garages. The plan involves upgrading the electrical panel, adding a building-level load management system, and switching DTE billing to TOU (time of use), with the cost of the upgrade charged to individual garage owners. |
| Great Oak Community | 2022-12-07 | Revised Budget Proposal for Ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work at Great Oak | Outlines actions to be taken by the anti-racism working group in the coming year. $1000 for Crystal Farmer's consultation and $1000 for outside facilitation brought into Great Oak |
| Great Oak Community | 2022-12-07 | Great Oak Cohousing 2023 Budget | The details for the Great Oak Cohousing 2023 Budget |
| Common House | 2022-08-19 | Proposal on Common House Access | Agreement to lock common house doors 24 hours a day |
| Common House | 2022-06-16 | Move Ping Pong Table to the Game Room | Request to move ping pong table into game room on an ongoing basis |
| Common House | 2022-05-28 | Hot Tub Policies | This document outlines the policies for the usage of the Great Oak hot tub, including safety, health, reservations, respect, and manners. Policies include the need for adult supervision of children, showering before use, no food or glass containers, and a reservation system. |
| Great Oak Community | 2021-11-15 | Great Oak Budget for 2022 | The below information provides background and proposal information for the 2022 Budget. |
| Great Oak Community | 2020-11-16 | 2021 Great Oak Budget Approval | The 2021 Great Oak Budget was discussed at both the 10/7/2020 and 11/16/2020 community meetings. It was consensed upon at the 11/16/2020 community meeting. The full budget docment is here:rnrnhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1y2auc7zegBEXnxhzxvgSE_A-5wNkgX_ZSPRcK0kCfds/edit#gid=4 |
| Great Oak Community | 2020-08-17 | Defining Sidewalk Responsibilities Agreement | The current Master Deed lacks clarity regarding the association's responsibility for cleaning and maintaining sidewalks, and this proposal aims to clarify it. This agreement makes sidewalk shoveling the responsibility of owners, while maintaining the association's responsibility for maintaining the physical structure of the sidewalk to the original front stoop. |
| Buildings | 2020-07-20 | Pest Control Policy rev 7/2020 | Provides a consistent approach to pest control, clarifying the responsibility of the Association and unit owners. The policy covers stinging and boring pests inside or outside the unit, pests inside the walls or attic, and community buildings, while excluding innocuous pests, and requiring permission for certain treatments. |
| Process | 2020-07-20 | Revised Agreement Reconsideration Agreement | A clearer process for revising previous community or empowered-committee decisions. The agreement removes the previous requirement of a minimum of six households to re-open discussion of an agreement, and outlines steps for seeking reconsideration of a decision, including meeting with the Process committee and relevant committee, and writing a new proposal incorporating feedback from the community. |
| Finance & Legal: Budget | 2019-12-16 | Proposed Great Oak reserve increase for 2020 | The following presents a summary on the details of the 2019 reserve study and the new proposed reserve agreement |
| Finance & Legal: Budget | 2019-11-18 | 2020 Great Oak Budget Approval | Proposal to approve the 2020 Budget for the Great Oak Cohousing Association Discussed on 9/16/2019 & 10/21/2019 Consensed on 11/18/2019 |
| Great Oak Community | 2019-09-16 | Basement Egress Proposal #3 - Creating Safe Pathways Behind Units 14-20 | This proposal creates gravel pathways behind units 14-20 and outlines the cost, maintenance, and job requirements for them. |
| Great Oak Community | 2019-09-16 | Basement Egress Proposal #2 - Building Center Stairs To Wetland and Connector Pathways | Proposal to build a 3rd set of concrete stairs to the wetlands, along with 2 leveled gravel paths to the adjacent buildings, and pay for it with a loan from the Reserve. |
| Great Oak Community | 2019-09-16 | Basement Egress Proposal #1 - What's Allowed | This proposal outlines the requirements for tenants to have a completely separate entrance/exit to their walkout apartment. |
| Great Oak Community | 2019-08-19 | Proposal to devote the 2019 Skills and Thrills to the Master Deed work | Great Oak plans to dedicate the 2019 Skills and Thrills weekend to completing the Master Deed work with the help of the GO attorney, and Finance and Legal will work with Process and other committees to ensure that the event is productive, fun, and efficient. |
| Buildings | 2019-03-18 | Great Oak Digging Requirements | This agreement aims to prevent damage to the critical underground infrastructure buried on site, through guidelines such as calling Miss Dig, referring to the as-built map, and hand-digging to minimize the risk of danger, repair costs, and inconvenience to the community. |
| Buildings | 2018-04-16 | Buildings Trusted Vendor Proposal | Buildings will develop and maintain a pool of a minimum of three Trusted Vendors. |
| Buildings | 2018-01-19 | Buildings Committee Mandate | The Buildings Committee is a standing committee responsible for maintaining and improving the physical infrastructure of Great Oak community. Their mandate includes ensuring the short and long-term maintenance, regulatory compliance, and safety of the buildings and related infrastructure, coordinating renovations and repairs, and working with other committees as needed. |
| Great Oak Community | 2017-04-05 | Proposal to Establish a Rotation for Official Audits of Great Oak Cohousing Association's Book | Next audit will be performed in 2020 for the 2019 books, and then follow a rotation of undergoing an audit every third year. |
| Great Oak Community | 2017-03-20 | Great Oak Operational Vision - September 5, 2022 | Much of Great Oak came together - 38 adults and 2 tweens from 26 households - and spent this cold, snowy Skills and Thrills weekend in March 2017 working toward a Great Oak Operational Vision for September 5, 2022. |
| Common House | 2017-02-20 | Common House Committee Mandate | The Common House Committee is responsible for maintaining the indoor space of Great Oak's community life, overseeing policies, budgeting, programming, and creating a welcoming shared space. The committee will work collaboratively to make decisions, and they will follow Great Oak's standard three-bid process for financial commitments exceeding $500. |
| Great Oak Community | 2016-05-23 | Common House Access | Agreement to lock CH doors 24 hours a day on a trial basis during summer 2016. |
| Finance & Legal | 2015-08-17 | Adding/Removing Items From the Reserve Fund | This proposal addresses items that would no longer be in the fund based on the new criteria, but which we have already started saving for. This proposal says let's keep them in until we actually replace the items, then take them out after that. |
| Finance & Legal | 2015-04-20 | Bed and Breakfast (B&B) Rentals and Liability Insurance | The agreement states that no resident of Great Oak can operate a Bed and Breakfast rental business from their home due to the lack of liability coverage from the community's insurance policy. |
| Steering | 2014-11-17 | Steering Committee Mandate | Steering Committee's purpose is to make critical decisions for the whole community in those rare time-urgent situations when a community meeting cannot be scheduled in time to address the issue. |
| Great Oak Community | 2014-11-17 | Critical Needs Fund | The Critical Needs Fund expenditures will be decided in community meetings and requests will go through the relevant committee, with the Process Committee available for guidance, while the fund line item will be located in the F&L budget. |
| Finance & Legal | 2014-09-15 | Revised: Handling End of Year Surplus or Deficit of Money | Simplify the way we handle deficits or surplus funds. Each year, once the books have been officially closed after taxes, the bookkeeper does the calculations to determine how much operating money, if any, is left. If we have a deficit, a special assessment is issued. If we have a surplus, it immediately becomes community money, not committee money. |
| Finance & Legal | 2014-03-17 | Simplify recording of loans from Reserve Fund | Internal transfers (between GOCA accounts) will be recorded with a note rather than as a loan. |
| Buildings | 2013-10-21 | Smoke Detectors will be Association responsibility | GOCA will be responsible for the maintenance and replacement of the smoke detectors in each unit. Each unit will have one combination Carbon Monoxide and smoke detector to provide better protection. |
| Common House | 2013-07-03 | Solar Panels on Garages to Serve Common House Redux | The proposal is to install solar panels on the south-facing garage roofs and common house roof to generate renewable electricity, with funding coming from a loan from the Reserve Fund and no increase in association fees or reserve fund contribution. |
| Process: Infoco | 2012-12-17 | Infoco Mandate | Infoco's role is to provide support and learning opportunities to Great Oak's community meeting facilitators, to help make the community meetings as successful and effective as possible. |
| Meals | 2012-11-19 | Meals Committee Mandate | The Meals Committee at Great Oak is responsible for administering the Meals program in a healthy, sustainable, and affordable way for the community. The committee has various responsibilities, including determining meal schedules, overseeing purchasing, administering billing, maintaining equipment, setting policies, and listening to community input, and has both a financial budget and a work "budget." |
| Process | 2012-06-18 | Agreement to lengthen the five fall budget community meetings | The proposal suggests pre-approving five community meetings a year, when the annual budget is discussed, to extend up to 120 minutes instead of 90 minutes, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, when needed. This is intended to allow for more in-depth discussions, finishing the budget in fewer meetings, and reducing tension around rushed agenda items. |
| Grounds | 2012-06-06 | Grounds Committee Mandate | The Grounds Committee is responsible for maintaining and planning the outdoor portion of the Great Oak physical plant, including landscape, hardscape, waste removal, amenities, and snow and ice removal. The Committee follows the Great Oak's standard three-bid process for financial commitments exceeding $500 and may occasionally forgo this process in certain cases. |
| Membership | 2012-01-16 | Revised Membership Committee Mandate | the Membership Committee includes facilitating outreach, education, social events, and welcoming new members. The Caring Committee provides assistance and support for those in difficult situations, while the Fun Committee organizes community-wide events, but the Membership Committee does not have the responsibility of ensuring member happiness or resolving conflicts. |
| Finance & Legal | 2011-12-19 | Proposal to Change Great Oak Master Deed | F&L is asking for the community's approval to work with our attorney to incorporate changes into our Master Deed. Changes include: * Buyers of units must fulfill certain requirements * How to Sell Your Garage Usage Rights * GCE/LCE Designations / clarifications described in a matrix / spreadsheet. |
| Great Oak Community | 2011-11-21 | Proposal to Include Great Oak Garden in Annual Operating Budget | The garden is considered a shared resource and specific expenses will be included in the Great Oak operating budget for Grounds, including woodchips, replacement hoses and sprinklers, a water meter, and a larger diameter water line to be installed in the center. |
| Finance & Legal | 2011-05-11 | Solar Panels on Garages to Serve Common House | We would like to install a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system on the south-facing roofs of two garage banks to provide low-emission, renewable electricity for the Great Oak Common House |
| Process | 2010-07-19 | Alternative Meeting Proposal | Alternative meetings primarily serve as a platform for community building rather than decision-making. However, they can be used to discuss and reach consensus on proposals if they follow the same decision-making requirements as regular meetings. |
| Process | 2010-06-21 | Process Committee Revised Mandate | The Process committee supports the community's commitment to consensus decision-making, conflict resolution, and communication. They are responsible for ensuring the safe storage and accessibility of community historical information and actively supporting learning but not enforcing specific community decisions or endorsing proposals. |
| Workshop | 2010-01-31 | Workshop Operating Rules | This agreement outlines the operating rules for the Great Oak Workshop, which includes goals, general shop policies, shop users, shop equipment, shop storage, and special shop usage situations. The rules emphasize safety, care for equipment, cleanliness, and community support, and also provide guidelines for shop usage by minors and fees for different types of users. |
| Finance & Legal | 2009-12-14 | Payment of Late Association Fees Policy | Policies and procedures for addressing nonpayment of assessments, including increased late fees and periodic reports on past due accounts without divulging names, to incentivize timely payments and protect the Association against unpaid fees. |
| Process | 2009-12-14 | Community Guidelnes For Conducting Great Oak Business Via Email | Email Etiquette Agreement which includes guidelines for using email for business on GO-Talk, within the committee, between community members and committees, and basic guidelines for all email. |
| Workshop | 2009-09-21 | Overall Community Workshop Policy | The Workshop Committee, a subcommittee of Common House, will set Operating Rules and appoint a workshop manager to handle day-to-day issues of the Great Oak community workshop, including safety, conflicts, and user fees. The shop is intended for woodworking, auto repair, and metalworking, and is a community resource subject to limitations to prevent monopolization of the space, while community work takes precedence over personal projects. |
| Workshop | 2009-08-17 | Workshop Committee Mandate Approved 8.17.09 | The Workshop Committee is a Standing Committee that manages a workshop facility for community projects and individual users, with the mandate to construct and operate the shop in a safe and fair manner. The committee is responsible for creating and maintaining general operating rules, managing operating funds, and coordinating with other committees to facilitate community projects, among other duties. |
| Process | 2009-04-20 | Quorum Change | The Great Oak community is proposing to change the current quorum agreement to 15 households and count quorum at the beginning of each decision item in order to address frustrations with decision-making difficulties due to low attendance. |
| Common House | 2009-03-16 | Great Oak Common House Children Supervision Policy | An agreement for child supervision in the common house to increase safety, cleanliness, clarity, and decrease tension caused by different parenting styles in the shared space, with specific rules for children aged 0-9, 10-12, and 13-18. |
| Work | 2008-10-20 | Community Work Agreement | The basic assumptions and parameters of Great Oak's Community Work System, which includes a shared responsibility for community work among owner members, associate members, and teen members, and provides options for handling conflicts that may arise. The system is expected to evolve over time, and renters may choose to wait until their lease is renegotiated before assuming their responsibilities as associate members. |
| Process | 2008-05-19 | Meeting Guidelines Agreement, with new Input in Absentia section. | Updated meeting guidelines which include separate facilitator and participant guidelines, as well as a four-step method for working through emotional charge. Additionally, the proposal outlines an Input in Absentia agreement for community members who are unable to attend a meeting. |
| Membership | 2008-01-21 | Great Oak Membership Policy | The policy outlines the membership categories and their access to common facilities and decision-making abilities, as well as the requirement for completing work obligations, communication about community agreements, and access for former members. |
| Common House | 2007-10-15 | Hot Tub Trial Policies | The Common House Committee has issued a set of policies for a 6-month trial period that covers expenses, safety, health, reservations, respect and manners, and usage, and will be re-evaluated after 6 months. |
| Process | 2007-08-01 | Great Oak "Regular" and "Alternative" Community Meetings | A proposal defining alternative meeting formats to alternate with standard meetings. These meetings will be less formal, and allow for a variety of community gathering designs. This is under an 8 month evaluation period, due to be revisited in May 2008. |
| Process: Infoco | 2007-03-19 | Infoco Mandate | Mandate for the infoco commitee, a subcommittee of process that creates draft meeting agendas and supports facilitator development. |
| Membership | 2007-01-03 | Teen Membership Agreement | A new role of membership called "Teen Member" which allows teenagers aged 13-18 to participate in community discussions and committees, but with limited rights and responsibilities. They must sign up for one job per month and attend at least half of a business meeting each quarter. |
| Work | 2006-08-21 | Revision of the Feb 2004 Community Work Agreement, plus info on Survey-Based Work System | Slight revision of the Feb 2004 Community Work Agreement, plus info on Survey-Based Work System: removed the bullet about "participation in one or more commiteees" from work expectations for everyone, since commitee work is now rolled into the work system as of August 2006. All else is the same. |
| Grounds | 2006-08-02 | Parking Agreement | To live with limited parking spaces, these guidelines cover removing dead vehicles, storing little-used vehicles off-site, limiting parking of trailers, using garages solely for parking vehicles, and parking only in designated spaces. |
| Work | 2006-07-05 | Work System Credit for Committee Participation | This agreement gives work credit for committee participation to a small number of counted members to keep committees lean, acknowledge their importance, and spread the burden of work more evenly. Membership on committees should rotate continually. |
| Great Oak Community | 2006-06-24 | Pond use statement | The ad-hoc Committee on Pond Use recommends safe and enjoyable use of the ponds shared by the three cohousing communities, including storing boats out of water and providing PFDs. |
| Process | 2006-06-04 | Communication Pathway | This document outlines a communication pathway to follow when there is a perception that a community agreement has been broken, with the goal of resolving the issue without formal consequences. The pathway includes steps such as handling the situation alone, talking to the neighbor directly, seeking out a third person's help, engaging the Conflict Resolution Committee, and addressing the issue with the whole group. |
| Great Oak Community | 2006-06-03 | Value statement around cleaning up our own household's stuff from common areas, and communicating with each other about it | Everyone living at GO is responsible for cleaning up their personal belongings and messes in common spaces in a timely manner. Parents are responsible for ensuring their children comply with the agreement, with allowances made for what they are able to understand and comply with. |
| Common House | 2006-06-03 | Scooter parking areas | Great Oak will establish 1-3 parking areas for scooters at CH entrances out of the way of doors and walkways. Implementation will be handled by the Common House committee. |
| Grounds | 2006-06-03 | Toy Removal from Common Areas | Remove toys and vehicles from common areas at the end of the day and remove tripping hazards from pathways and commonly trafficked areas at all times. |
| Grounds | 2006-06-03 | Label Toys | Great Oak households will label their outdoor toys and wheeled vehicles. |
| Finance & Legal | 2006-01-16 | GO Finance and Legal Committee Mandate | The Finance and Legal Committee is a standing committee that addresses the financial and legal concerns of the community. The committee is empowered to implement decisions made by the community, and their responsibilities include budgeting and financial planning, managing investments, preparing taxes and reports, and working with legal experts to provide information to the community. |
| Finance & Legal | 2005-12-15 | Great Oak Cohousing Final Zoning compliance | Final Zoning Compliance from Scio Township |
| Great Oak Community | 2005-12-11 | Agreement to contact named people as soon as possible | If specific households are involved in a community meeting and are not present, the discussion will still take place as long as the facilitation group commits to filling in the absent parties and inviting them to share their part of the story at the next meeting, with a promise that follow-up contact happens by the end of the next day. |
| Great Oak Community | 2005-12-11 | Cleaning Up Messes Agreement | Everyone at Great Oak is responsible for cleaning up their own messes. |
| Workshop | 2005-12-07 | Great Oak/Touchstone Workshop Proposal | Great Oak and Touchstone communities have combined resources to construct a shared woodworking workshop on the Great Oak property. The proposal includes details about the building's size, construction cost, operating expenses, usage policies, and governance. |
| Common House | 2005-10-05 | Guest Room Usage Fees | Agreement that the guest room usage fees go toward the Common House improvements fund rather than into the Great Oak general fund. |
| Work | 2005-10-05 | Work Committee Mandate | The work committee is responsible for designing and operating a program to accomplish the community's work and assisting in defining work expectations and needs. Their duties include the work allocation process, assisting in the smooth functioning of the work system, and workday coordination, but they are not responsible for doing individual jobs or supervising them. |
| Grounds | 2005-09-19 | One Designated Parking Spot per Household | Proposal to purchase seven signs to create seven reserved spots for the households that do not own garages. |
| Common House | 2005-08-10 | Common House Solar Hot Water Heater Proposal | We would like to install a 2 collector Solar Water Heater system in and on the Great Oak Common House to provide a renewable source of energy to heat water for the Common House. |
| Buildings | 2005-07-06 | Basement Buildout Policy | Creates guidelines to follow when households decide to finish their basements. |
| Finance & Legal | 2005-06-01 | Amendment 2 to the Master Deed - Touchstone Cohousing storm drainage easement | The Second Amendment grants Touchstone Cohousing Association a permanent easement for storm drainage on Great Oak Cohousing's property, allowing construction, maintenance, and repair of storm drainage lines. Additionally, it updates the Master Deed's Exhibit B with new sheets, replacing the previous ones. |
| Meals | 2005-02-01 | Various meals policies | * Past-due bills policyrn* Seed money repayment planrn* Head Cook receipts deadline |
| Membership | 2005-01-05 | Affordability Club Proposal | A proposal to address the financial stress on individual households caused by association fee increases. |
| Finance & Legal | 2004-10-21 | Temporary Postponement of Association Fees in an Emergency | A member household facing a dire emergency may request a postponement of its Association and LTCRF fees - either in whole or in part - for a period no longer than 3 months |
| Grounds | 2004-08-16 | Proposal For Usage of Common Land Adjacent To Our LCEs | Proposal For Usage of Common Land Adjacent To Our LCEs |
| Common House | 2004-07-07 | Common House Room Use Proposal | Guidelines for using the Common House building in general and for specific rooms including Exercise Room, Sitting Room, Guest Room, Kitchen, Dining Room, Kid's Playroom, Media Room, Game Room, and Laundry Room. |
| Buildings | 2004-07-04 | Decking Policy | Decking Design, Material & Process Comments/Suggestions |
| Grounds | 2004-06-02 | Planting Trees and Shrubs within Limited Common Elements (LCEs) | Households are free to plant trees and shrubs within their LCEs, which have an expected maximum growth height of 20 feet high or less without approval from the grounds committee, provided they follow specific guidelines. The proposal aims to address issues related to tree planting, which can cause conflicts among neighbors and damage to in-ground infrastructure. |
| Membership | 2004-06-01 | GO Meeting Childcare Guidelines | Guidelines for childcare both for the providers and the parents during Great Oak business meetings. |
| Grounds | 2004-04-19 | Changes to the Great Oak Landscape: A Proposal to Empower the Grounds Cmtee | The Grounds Committee is empowered to propose, review, revise and approve changes to the Great Oak landscape. |
| Meals | 2004-02-16 | GO Common Meals Proposal | Defines what common meals operate, when they happen, the job roles involved, the relationship with Sunward's meals. |
| Finance & Legal | 2004-01-07 | A Policy to Encourage On-Time Payment of Association Fees | Sets a deadline after which late fees will be applied. |
| Common House | 2003-12-15 | Common House Office Policy | This proposal attempts to outline the policies regarding rental and use of the three offices in the Common House that balance the rights and needs of the renters and the community. |
| Finance & Legal | 2003-12-01 | Amendment 1 to the Master Deed - Touchstone Cohousing access to wetlands | The amendment modifies ownership and usage rights for the "Preservation Area," allowing it to be shared with a proposed future development and updates the common elements to include new garages and reassign unit numbers. Additionally, the front and rear limited common elements of the units are revised and new garage buildings are added. |
| Process | 2003-11-17 | Lakestone (Eagle Point) Relationship Proposal | Lakestone (Eagle Point) Relationship Proposal, Paired with the Cohousing Council Proposal |
| Common House | 2003-11-16 | Common House General Use Guidelines | Various policies around usage of the Common House. Including who can use it, quiet hours, food usage, securing at night, no smoking, no storing of alcohol, scheduling, guest room guidelines, charges/donations and use by non-residents. |
| Buildings | 2003-08-06 | Air Conditioner Proposal | GO member households may install central air conditioning systems. These systems must be properly sized and placed according to the guidelines below, used with sensitivity around noise to the community. Window AC units are not allowed. |
| Steering | 2003-08-06 | Touchstone Wetland Foot-Travel Access | Statment of GOs intent to allow TS access to the wetlands, which the two communities jointly own. |
| Buildings | 2003-08-06 | Interim Architectural Review Committee (ARC) | Creation of a committee to review changes that members would like to make, especially to their units. |
| Great Oak Community | 2003-08-06 | Cat Clause | The Cat Clause proposal aims to balance the desires of some Great Oak members to have outdoor cats with environmental, health, and safety concerns. While the committee encourages all cat owners to keep their cats indoors, it recognizes that some may choose to allow their cats outside and proposes guidelines for proper licensing, containment, and behavior. Hunting and other outdoor cat behaviors that could result in the loss of outdoor privileges are listed, and conflict resolution methods are suggested. |
| Grounds | 2003-06-30 | GO Fence Policy | The GO fence policy allows backyard fences up to 6 feet high and front yard decorative fences up to 1.5 feet high. The policy aims to balance the community's desire for privacy and pet containment with the preservation of Great Oak's aesthetics and open space. |
| Great Oak Community | 2003-03-03 | Pet Policy (minus the Cat section) | The policy aims to create a harmonious environment for people, pets, and nature. It addresses various types of pets including dogs and other outdoor pets, as well as concerns around safety, cleanliness, damage, and noise. Pet owners are responsible for their pets' actions and damages. The "Cat Clause" covers cats and is a separate policy. |
| Process | 2003-02-17 | GO Minute-taking Guidelines | The minute taker is responsible for recording the highlights of the discussion during meetings, reflecting the nature and detail of the meeting. Afterwards, responsible for emailing out to the group the draft minutes, integrating feedback and publishing via email not as an attachment in a way that can be easily archived. |
| Process | 2003-02-15 | Convenor Job Description | A committee's convener ensures that committee meetings happen on a planned schedule, track agenda, tracks the budget and ensures that minutes are taken and shared and communicated with the community. |
| Finance & Legal | 2003-02-05 | Reimbursements Policy | Procedure for how to be reimbursed for purchases made for committees, either through pre-approval or post-approval. Purchases intended for reimbursement need a receipt. |
| Process | 2003-01-08 | Conflict Resolution in Our Community | The proposal suggests forming a Conflict Resolution Committee (CRC) in the community to help with conflict resolution between individuals or households. The CRC will be a community resource and maintain confidentiality while providing guidance and mediation services, although certain types of conflict may require outside resources. |
| Finance & Legal | 2002-10-21 | Getting competitive bids for purchases | You need to get three bids to buy something more than some amount of money - $500 is the current proposal. There may be some times when you don't do this - when this happens, it should be documented. |
| Membership | 2002-10-02 | Email list recipients | "If you're a member of GO, however that's defined, you can get all the email. If you're an associate member, which is as yet not defined(perhaps ex member, friend) you can get GO-talk but not committee email unless the cmtee has asked you be on it. the professionals too, they can be invited to join committees." |
| Membership | 2002-09-18 | Fun Committee | create committee to support creation of more fun community events |
| Finance & Legal | 2002-07-15 | Bylaws - Article VII, Section 3-C | |
| Finance & Legal | 2002-06-22 | Bylaws | The bylaws are an official document outlining how the community operates. The areas covered include: "The Condominium Project", "Membership and Decision-Making", "Meetings and Quorum", "Administration", "Assessments", "Taxes, Insurance, and Repairs", "Use and Occupancy Restrictions", "Mortgages", "Leases", "Arbitration", "Miscellaneous Provisions" |
| Finance & Legal | 2002-04-14 | Exhibit B - Subdivision Plan | Exhibit B - Subdivision Plan (Survey Plan, Site Plan, Utility Plan,rnFloor Plans for Unit Types A-D) |
| Finance & Legal | 2002-04-14 | Master Deed | This is the legal document which defines what you own, and how we're comprised as a legal entity. This document contains sections such as: "Definitions", "Title of Project", "Nature of Project", "Common Elements", "Unit Description and Percentage of Value", "Rights of Mortgagees", "Damage to Project", "Easements", "Future Access and Utility Easements", "Future Easements, Licenses and Rights-of-Way", "Amendment or Termination", "Assignment" |
| Process | 2002-04-01 | Info on Stand-Asides and Blocks | When a participant wishes to block, this prevents the decision from going forward for the time being. A person stands aside when he or she cannot personally support the proposal but feels that it would be acceptable for the rest of the group to adopt it. |
| Process | 2001-09-17 | Proposal Template proposal | Proposals should be drafted according to a specific template which provides for certain categories of information. |
| Process | 2001-06-27 | Agenda Guidelines | Outline of how GO meeting agendas should be done. |
| Great Oak Community | 2001-05-01 | Great Oak's Vision Work, end of March to end of May 2001 | Our vision is to create a sustainable community that is diverse and joyful. We seek to thrive in harmony and dissonance with one another. In this place we value and cultivate our strengths and our differences. |
| Membership | 2001-04-16 | Buddy system (instituting) | "The Membership Committee will assign "buddies" for new members." |
| Process | 2001-04-04 | Consensus decision making | We will use consensus decision making unless we consense not to do so. |
| Great Oak Community | 2001-04-04 | Name change (final) | Official name change from White Oak to Great Oak |
| Great Oak Community | 2001-03-21 | Meeting schedule | We will meet on the first Wednesday and third Monday of each month. |
As of: Sun, 07 Jun 2026 13:06:29 -0400