1/17//17 Minutes
Meeting_minutes_2017_0117.docx.pdf (46.83 KB)
Transition / Bridging / Madco Meeting
January 17, 2017
Bridging the Community
Meeting opened with an explanation of the “Bridging the Community” process. Chris Heaney
Howells explained that this process was suggested as a possible “Umbrella Group “ structure under
which other groups or committees of interest could evolve during networking.
Participants offered information about themselves based on two questions: 1) What do you have to
offer the community? 2) What do you need?
Attending were* Chris Brown, Chris Lord, Tasha Humphrey, Craig Hastings, Pam and Ed McNally,
Pietra Walsh, Bruce and Chris Howells. (*sorry if misspelled)
The first part of the meeting consisted of going around the room to share about the two questions.
Chris Howells offered plants in exchange for labor and help clearing land. Bruce Howells has tools and
can offer help with basic building, plumbing, wiring, etc.
Chris Brown works for a community housing agency and is building a home. He has volunteer
opportunities and is has information on grants available for housing.
Chris Lord has tools and skills in the building trades to offer. He is looking for an interesting property
to restore and would consider a shared work situation.
Tasha Humphrey and Craig Hastings offered experience in cob and earth bag building along with other
building skills. They live on a shared, twelve acre property in Shelton Laurel. They have experience
with gardening and gathering wild foods. They have space to offer for homestead related events.
Craig has years of experience running small business. They seek connections, bartering opportunities,
and seek ways to have less need for money.
Pam McNally has energy and time to offer. She has been a volunteer with immigrant populations and
is looking for volunteer opportunities. Ed is also interested in service work. He is a landscape
architect and project manager. He is involved in the native plant garden at the library. He wants to
connect with people interested in the “Indivisible” movement and Reverend Barber’s “Fusion
Politics.”
The second part of the meeting involved networking. The group decided to stay together as one
group rather than split into smaller groups. Topics discussed were:
● Need to be inclusive with regard to politics in order to welcome a range of local people.
● Working and “bridging” locally.
● Finding common ground among community members.
● Bartering is and has traditionally been an important part of the local culture.
● Chris B. noted that there are often only a handful of people at county commissioner meetings.
This is a good opportunity to make an impact locally.
● “Cliff Notes” on local politics or “Local politics for Dummies” would be helpful.
● Ed M. shared that for the “Indivisible” movement, local politics and focus on bringing concerns
to local officials is key.
● “Friends of the Library” and “North Carolina Natural Products Association” were mentioned as
resources for homestead related businesses.
● Bartering was discussed. Craig H. offered info about the barter group known as “Asheville
Less.” One trouble with bartering or labor sharing or “banking” systems is the need for
someone to do the administrative work. It was pointed out that free software exists to aid
with these sorts of efforts.
● It was mentioned that Laura Orcutt Cheatham is working on a skills/needs assessment that
may include info about bartering.
● There was discussion about the “Forum.” Some felt that there were too many emails. Some
don’t have Facebook. Some expressed needing to know more about how the Forum works. It
was noted that Leah did post a tutorial on Facebook. A need for a centralized email list was
noted. Also noted was a need for a calendar and a place to attach documents. Does the
Forum need “ground rules?” It was noted that the Forum has built-in ground rules.
● Discussion of regular meeting times: Chris B. proposed one Tuesday per month and one
Saturday a month might be a good plan to suit needs of people with differing schedules. This
should be on the agenda for the next meeting.
● The group still needs a name and possibly a mission statement. Is there a place on the Forum
to discuss this? It was noted that mission statements are difficult to decide on and may
require a focused group effort, with facilitator if possible. It was also noted that the “umbrella
group” structure could have the simple mission of connecting people with similar needs or
interests and could avoid the need for a complicated mission statement.