Living Here:  

  Here are some specifics about our community:

• Cars

• Snow

• Carts

• Common House

• Our Gardens

• Pets

• Recycling

• Compost

• On-line Communication

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•  Cars:  As in most cohousing communities, everyone parks in our common parking lot, and not adjacent or among the homes. This provides opportunities to see our neighbors and facilitate connection, as well as a car free living space.  While there are no assigned spaces, we do have an electric charging station, and the adjacent spaces are reserved for electric cars.  In addition, during winter months, we have assigned “snow bird” parking spots to facilitate snow plowing, and for big events, we ask that guests park along the road instead of in the parking lot, so residents are always able to find a spot.   In order to maintain a peaceful community where children can play freely and safely, we do not drive on our interior pathways unless there is an emergency or for delivering heavy objects, getting a sleeping baby inside, rainy day grocery transferring, etc. Even in these cases, the vehicle should be moved slowly and cautiously back to the parking lot as soon as possible. 

 

• Snow:  When it snows here in New England, we at Pathways kick into action.  We hire a snow-plowing contractor to plow our road and the wider paths, but the rest is up to us!   We are all responsible for shoveling our walkways and the smaller loops of our paths, as well as access to the Common House, trash enclosure, etc.  We have a ‘snow liaison’ volunteer who lets us know when the plowing contractor needs us to move our cars from the parking lot so he can clear it out, and we all head out to clear off our cars and move them to the road.  Actually, this time often proves to be a refreshing opportunity to get outdoors and mingle with your neighbors and help each other with the snow clearing. 

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• Carts :  Community-owned carts can be used to carry things home from the parking lot and are to be returned quickly to the parking lot for someone else's use.

        

• Common House: Our Common House provides a beautiful setting for gatherings, celebrations, meetings and just hanging out.  It includes:

  •  a well stocked kitchen with plenty of room for many cooks and helpers, 

  • a large dining area (Great Room) that can be converted quickly to a dance floor, yoga studio, meeting room, etc., 

  • a large deck with tables and a grill, 

  • a screened in porch big enough for groups of 10, 

  • a cozy living room, 

  • a playroom equipped with toys, books, games, art supplies, 

  • A guest suite with two guest bedrooms and a  bathroom with a handicap accessible shower.

  • In the basement we have a well equipped exercise room and

  • A laundry room with two washers and two dryers

  • In the main hallway of the Common House each unit has a mailbox, as well as a ‘cubby’ for personal use

  • There is a large black board titled Community Engagement, with all of the multitude of jobs people are doing to keep Pathways running and the ones that need to be done

    • Common House ‘rules’-  (there aren’t too many)

      • ​During the Covid pandemic, the Common House is only open for collecting mail and  packages.  The exercise room and laundry room can only accommodate one household at a time.  Permission to use the facilities has been granted to a few individuals who have gone through the Covid Subcommittee and gotten BOT approval

      • In regular times

      • • • No pets are allowed in the Common House

          • We ask people to remove their shoes before entering the Great Room

          • Use of Great Room, kitchen, living room and guest rooms must be reserved in advance.  Sign up lists are available -hanging in the hallway.

 

• Our gardens:  We have a community vegetable garden which all members are invited to to help plant, maintain and harvest.  We also have peach and pear trees, and raspberries.  There are many smaller perennial gardens spread throughout the community and in the spring, Pathways is a beautiful sight to see.

    

• Pets:  We ask that dogs be kept on leash within the walking paths and grounds of the community, but can be off-leash in the woods and on the playing field.

 

•  Recycling:  We are committed to recycling and minimizing our waste.  There is a recycling bin next to the trash bin where you can put paper, plastic, glass and aluminum recyclables.  We also use our list-serve to let community members know if we have items we want to ‘share’.

 

•   Compost:  We have a community compost bin, located behind the trash enclosure, that is maintained by dedicated volunteers.  We ask that only vegetable matter be put in the compost, and no plastic (even if it is supposed to be biodegradable), or fish, dairy or meat products.

 

•   On-line Communication:  Members of the community have access to our list-serve, shared Google drive, and Google Calendar.   We also have a Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pathways_Cohousing/136443543041294

        And Website:  https://www.pathwayscohousing.org/