Fw: [neighborwood] Catching up on the NeighborWood

[Patrick Zieske]

I'd like to invite everyone on "chelsea-permies" to our Saturday events at Sylvan's NeighborWood.  The group here has been pretty dormant over the past few years, but this could be a good time to get together again at least once.

If you're coming to the pizza, then please bring a topping or two.  We'll have dough, sauce, and cheese.

If you're coming to the earthen plastering, you don't need to bring anything except clothes that you don't mind getting a little bit of mud on.

If you're coming to both, then great!!!

Patrick Zieske

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: 'Patrick Zieske' via NeighborWood <neighb...@googlegroups.com>

To: neighb...@googlegroups.com <neighb...@googlegroups.com>

Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 08:48:59 PM EDT

Subject: Re: [neighborwood] Catching up on the NeighborWood

Hi everybody,

One more detail for everybody planning to attend either or both portions of the day next Saturday: the address!  Most of you in this group already know, but here it is again:

Sylvan's NeighborWood site

5601 Conway Rd.

Chelsea, MI  48118

We up on the crest of the hill, on the east side of the road.

Right now the weather is looking really good for the 31st.  Bring yourselves, your friends who might be interested, and some pizza toppings if you're doing the pizza.

Patrick

On Sunday, August 18, 2024 at 07:29:00 AM EDT, 'Patrick Zieske' via NeighborWood <neighb...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Hello everybody,

• Site plan being revised due to soil conditions
• Pizza party on August 31
• Plastering "workshop" activity on August 31
  

It's been quite a while and we have been busy working out the details for the community.  Unexpectedly, over the past 2 months, we have run into an obstacle with "perk tests" for septic system.  About half of the places where we initially wanted to place homes, have turned out not to have suitable soils.  We've dug test pits all over the place.  The plan has been rearranged twice.  Next Friday the 23rd is the final round of perk tests; then we make the final cut of where the lots can be.

Site Plan

Here (attached) is how it looks in the latest revision.  The gray shared areas are potential locations of the 10 homes, and the pink shaded areas are the proposed locations of the septic drain fields -- if they all pass.  Green dots are those that are already passed. 

You can see that we have quite a variety of lot sizes and locations -- actually more of an eclectic variety than before.  We are continuing with the Edible Park in the central/east area and the large farm area occupying all the back acres.  The Edible Park will likely grow a little bit bigger, as we move the road a little further southward, which is not depicted here.

This is tentative depending on Friday's test results.  There is a likelihood that we might be forced to go down to 9 or even 8 lots, in case some of the new tests are not successful.

Pizza Party Gathering

Thus far into the year, and we have not yet had one gathering!  Busy busy busy.  That is going to change on the afternoon of Saturday, August 31st.  We have an outdoor earth oven, as most of you know.  We are doing a pizza party for all prospective community members and friends including people we might not have met yet -- learn about the community plans.  Starting at 4:00 PM until sundown or whenever you have had enough.  Please invite others!  There is no commitment required, except to bring a couple of pizza toppings.

We'll probably have the final site layout available, as this pizza party is one week after the final perk tests.  You can see how it is laid out when you are standing on the land.

Progress on the community house

The house under construction will serve as a meeting place for the community and also a single-family residence for community member(s).  It could be finished by year's end if things go well and if we make a big push for the last few months.  Interior walls have been drywalled downstairs and we've started the plaster on the inside of the hempcrete walls.  With a little bit more plastering, then the plumbing can be completed.  Rough electrical is all done except for the direct-current (DC) breaker box -- the DC lighting itself will be interesting to see!  There's power and water, and will be a toilet as soon as that plumbing gets done.

To make a long story short... Completion of the plastering needs to be achieved quickly because of all the tasks stacked up behind it.  We can use some help.  It's rather simple work, and a group of many people can have fun stomping out the plaster mix (some with bare feet!) of colored clay, sand, and chopped straw and enjoy the camaraderie of a group activity.  So... We're hoping to get help also on the same day, Saturday, August 31st, starting at 10:00 AM continuing until we start baking pizzas.  We wouldn't just feed you for nothing, would we?  (Actually, I would, but we still need help.)  Here's a picture of some it finished already in the attic area.  Next highest priority will be the bathroom wall downstairs, because the plumbing pipes need to be surface-mounted over the plaster.

Yes, it's kind of purplish.

But come to the pizza at 4:00 PM anyway, even if you cannot participate in the plastering.

Building a sustainable, healthy, and resilient community in Chelsea...

Patrick Zieske

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NeighborWood" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to neighborwood...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neighborwood/1246624031.9094545.1723980521593%40mail.yahoo.com.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NeighborWood" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to neighborwood...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neighborwood/1309392415.11821902.1724546928515%40mail.yahoo.com.