2026-04-11- Communiy Check-in

Agenda 

• • • RC Community Check-In
      
      
      

      * Welcome [2 minutes]
      
      

          * This is the first space-wide discussion in a few months. It’s a check-in, not a formal assembly. There are no votes, and no proposals to pass. The goal is to hear each other, think together, and leave with some shared sense of where to put collective energy next, what challenges we may be facing, and how we might want to approach them. In a space like this there are always and inevitably going to be differences in priorities, hearing each other and being heard is essential to navigating those frictions in ways that promote creative growth instead of wearing everyone down
      
      

          * The facilitator's job is to keep things moving and make sure everyone who wants to speak gets heard
      
      

          * [Name] will start keeping stack if we need it, when conversation is moving organically we’ll let it flow
      
      

              * Please be thoughtful of how many people are in the room. Everyone came here today because they care about the space and have a stake in what happens here, speak to inform your collaborators, and make space for them to inform you
      
      

          * A notetaker will capture key themes and any action items that emerge, names will not be recorded unless they’re attached to action items. Notes will be shared afterward, if you don’t want something in the notes, say so
      
      
      

      * Intros [8 minutes]
       

      [GA wall image on the projector]
      
      

          * How you like to be called
      
      

          * How you're connected to RC/what you're part of here
      
      

          * Something at RC recently you'd love to see more of
      
      
      

      * Review of GA Takeaways [5 min]
      
      

          * High level takeaways from the GA
      
      

          * We heard from a lot of community members
      
      

          * These can ground us today, and we can discuss them more in other meetings
      
      
      

      * What’s Up [35 min]
      
      

      [Notes on the projector]
      
      

          * Open-floor discussion of issues, frictions, and observations around shared space usage and community life since the last spokes council
       

              * What's been on your mind about the space

      Ventilation on the roof to support basement work- fan already there, how turn on? Is it safe?

      Backyard access- can we petition? Neighbor dynamic rocky

      Communications- silo’d signal groups

      Space to pitch ideas, get temp checks 

      
      
      

                  * Things that have gone well- Sunday dinner benefits, game night bringing in new dinner attendees, space is cleaner + tidier lately, folks have been experimenting more/ seeing more organic growth ie dinner layout change, mood lighting is great, programming has been more fun + playful ie spelling bee, more opportunities for folks to share heritage and background w larger community, groups seem more open to collab and sharing, the increase in programming + the cross pollination that happens when groups share time in the space, we're on our way to being able to fully pay our bills, MN reportbacks + gym/ pantry Wednesday vibes, the increase in communication and transparency 
      
      

                  * Things that have felt hard- lack of clarity around more political events, are they welcome? Advertising ambiguity and guidance; is this a strategic priority?
      
      

                  * Things that have been sitting with you- invisible labor of regularly interacting w the space- problem solver vs attendee
      
      

                  * Things that you want to see done- way to contact facilitators/ bottom liners outside of signal- more access for newcomers 

      Storage of random items in the space- sort, repurpose, discard. Store. LABEL!

      More structure around event + IG coord

      more stuctural/ planning mtgs, more political programming + organizing meetings, more shared ownership + political alignment, more documentary screenings 
      
      

          * This conversation is intentionally unstructured. Try to add rather than respond or echo. The goal is to surface things in the room and hear each other
      
      

          * We’ll come back to what to do about things
      
      
      

      * Theme review [5 min]- organization of time, organization of space, buy in of the space by more WG members, more structure and processes needed esp re: programming + advertisement, more intentionality w programming- prioritize community ed/ political prog, + community building/ fun, more cross group/ committee communication
       

          * Notetaker reviews themes captured in the conversation
      
      

          * Ask which themes need follow up and mark them in the notes- ALL
      
      
      

      * BREAK [10 min]
      
      
      

      * Introduction of office hours model [7 min]
       

      [Model on the projector]
      
      

          * Describe the model
      
      

          * The hope for creating this meeting schedule is to
       

              * Reduce the administrative burden of meeting planning
      
      

              * Create a more dynamic space for problem solving
      
      

              * Make it easier for people to plug into work
      
      

              * Be able to to weigh in on conversations you’re not tracking every day in signal chats
      
      

              * Build stronger cross-group working relationships
      
      
      

      * Questions/thoughts [8 min]
      
      

          * What questions do you have about how this would work?
      discussion around spot assignments, meeting  cadence, structure 

      Admin committees would take turns hosting, work on existing and upcoming business, and invite folks interested in helping out w the committee. members of other committees and WGs invited to attend and interface w the hosting committee

          * What feels right about this?
       creating a space for more in person work, making admin more accessible to larger community 

          * What feels uncertain or incomplete? change Housekeeping to All Hands  to avoid confusion around mtg purpose 
      
      
      

      * Temperature check [5 min]
      
      

          * Does this feel like something worth trying? yes
       

          * Is there anything that would need to feel good about giving it a go? lets give it a shot
      
      
      

      * Inventory of structures [20 min]- 
       

      [List of admin committees and working groups on the projector]
      
      

          * The goal for this section is to inventory
       

              * What's currently running 
      
      

              * Identify where things feel strong and where they feel thin
       

              * What ideas exist for doing things differently
       

              * We want to get through everything, so again please be thoughtful of how many groups are in the room. We can always come back to these conversations, there is no scarcity of time to work together
      
      

          * All current admin committees and working groups [one at a time]

      Tech & comms- physical install of NYC mesh interpersonal issues making it difficult 

      Positive interactions w newbies, can plug them in now 

      NYC mesh folks + artists across the street getting internet from RC; physical tech & comms improving, only use verizon as a backup 

      Being more physically present and active has generated new convos / interest

      Need help decorating mesh board- protect the screen 

      Signal group doesnt equal committee/ WG

      Summer of Ludd meetup- get on mailing list, build out indie tech network 

      Fundraising-  5/3 1-4p chili cookoff; crown! Best chili in ridgewood 

      Need flyer crew

      Veg + meat categories 

      Grant due in June- call out to WGs to brainstorm a project for this grant 

      Writers group- could be more invested in the space

      Spelling bee went well

      Create space for contribution convo in mtgs

      Facilities- blender broke, 3rd couch- toss? Need new blender. Longer audio cord or runner to cover short one; pantry shelves got clutter dump 

      Gym going well! 45-50 hrs booked / week

      Contribution increase to $600

      Finance- bringing in $2500/mo after expenses are piad- woohoo!
      $500/mo discretionary fund available to groups who need it 
      

              * Who is active in each of these spaces? [show of hands] 
      
      

              * How are things going in each? 
       

              * What’s working?
      
      

              * What do you need, if anything?
      
      
      

      * What’s working/needs attention [5 min]
      
      

      [Notes on the projector]
      
      

          * From everything we’ve heard, what feels like it's running well? lots of fun events + more collabs between groups. income is growing steadily and the general cleanliness + ambiance is improving 
       

          * Where do you notice gaps or places where things feel stuck? need more structures and better comms systems, need POU, conflict resolution group 
      
       

      * Close [10 min]
      
      

          * Facilitator’s brief synthesis across all three sections
       

              * Themes that felt significant or recurring
      
      

              * Anything that felt unresolved and deserves more space
      
      

          * Follow up
      
      

              * Work through flagged items from section 1 discussion and identify bottom liners or committees for each
      
      

              * Decisions about how to organize follow-up can happen in the new office hours structure
       

              * If something needs a working group to form ask if anyone wants to start it and when they'd meet
      
      

          * Brief closing go around
      
      

              * What are you leaving with?

Meeting Highlights

New Action Items 

find contact info for old ESL class teachers
build structure for determining discretionary fund allocations
build process for accessing DF
lease review- do we have backyard access?
Gavin- pass gym orientation manual for use as template for admin committees/ WG to build out SOP + orientation materials