This policy clarifies how our common spaces ((Dining Room, Living Room, Kitchen, Playroom, Library, Recreation Room and Crafts Room) may be used and establishes guidelines for reserving and using those spaces. It replaces earlier policies on the same subject. This policy is being proposed for one year after which it will be evaluated and adjusted by the EH Circle after input from the community.
To Reserve:
Enter event directly into CCM
No approval necessary
Restrictions:
None if space is available
To Reserve:
Enter event request into CCM
Event request must be approved by Common Space Coordinator
Once your request has been approved it will appear in the CCM Calendar. Please verify that your event appears there.
Restrictions:
May be reserved up to 60 days prior to the event or series of events.
In case of a rare completing demand, sponsors of recurring events must be flexible and ready to move the location.
Weekly reoccurring events primarily for outside groups are limited to weekday time slots before 6PM.
An outside group may reserve the Rec Room for a 6PM event and then move to the Dining Room if it is available.
To Reserve:
Enter event directly into CCM as a Coho Event
Please announce on CCH-Talk
No approval necessary
Restrictions:
None if space is available
To Reserve:
Enter event request into CCM indicating that your event may trigger a donation
Event request must be approved by Common Space Coordinator
Once your request has been approved it will appear in the CCM Calendar. Please verify that your event appears there.
Restrictions:
$15 per hour. This will appear as income and be tracked in the Community Budget on the Wiki.
To Reserve:
Enter event request into CCM indicating that your event may trigger a donation
Event request must be approved by Common Space Coordinator
Once your request has been approved it will appear in the CCM Calendar. Please verify that your event appears there.
Restrictions:
$15 per hour. This will appear as income and be tracked in the Community Budget on the Wiki.
This policy tries to balance individual community members’ need for private initiatives with the rights of community members to community-related gatherings. To fairly manage occasional competing requests, this policy includes guidelines for the maximum permitted reservation lead-times and makes a distinction between high demand weekend- and lower demand week-day use, as well as between one-time and recurring events.
CCH community events,
Special family events
Events serving mainly outside groups
Business or private income-generating events.
Multi-day week-end events primarily for the benefit of outside interest groups or businesses are limited to 4 per year per resident. This is to keep options open for use by the larger community while balancing the need to respect Common House residents’ privacy and sense of home. We adopted this policy because, during large events with many outside participants, residents have felt like strangers in their own home. When considering a request, the Coordinator will note the number of previously granted requests for high demand weekend slots as well as requests for holiday use by the same resident.
Each event needs a CCH resident sponsor, who assumes all responsibility and must be present at all times during the event.
Clean-up. The sponsor is expected to leave the space in good order. Please follow the Common House Care Guide. Damaged or missing items should be repaired or replaced. Please bring your own staples such as sugar, coffee, paper towels, napkins etc.--or replace what you have used.
Liability. Events with significant physical activity (yoga, dance, exercise, etc.) require proof that the organizer/teacher has liability insurance and liability waivers from all participants. Please submit these to the Common Space Coordinator before the event or series.
Timing. Events must take place between 8 am and 10 pm, Fridays and Saturdays between 8 am and 11 pm.
Noise. If an event is expected to be noisy, please inform CCH residents and give special consideration to people in unit 210. If using the rec room, please notify people in unit 115.
Environmental impact. The sponsor is responsible for minimizing the environmental impact of an event. Please use recyclable products (no plastic or styrofoam plates and cups) and follow the City of Cambridge composting and recycling requirements linked to in the Common Space Care Guide.
Front door. As a rule, please receive arriving guests at the front door and escort them to your event; never prop open the front door or leave it unattended.
Dining room doors: If using them as an entry (in dry weather only, please!), please lock securely after use.
Lobby and living room. Residents should always be made to feel welcome in the living room. The lobby must remain clear and accessible throughout an event.
Signs. At a large event, please post the “Residents Only”, “Bathroom” and “Cloak Room” signs in the lobby (kept at the bottom of the mail room cubbies.)
Community notification. When reserving more than two rooms and/or for two consecutive days, please notify the community in advance.
Insufficient clean-up. In the unlikely case of insufficient clean-up, a member of the EH Circle will contact the sponsor the day after the event, who will be asked to complete clean-up within 3 hours after being contacted. Alternatively, the EH Circle will charge the sponsor $25 per person-hour of clean-up time. The charge is payable by check to Cambridge Cohousing
(Extended Home March 2018)