Copperstone is our home, not just a group of buildings. We encourage all owners and residents to take an active role in making it a better community for everyone.
Here are some ideas we have—some are simple to implement, some would require more time and money. We encourage all residents to come up with ideas!
Make Copperstone more open and responsive
- An open forum for discussion. While we have a Facebook group, it is not used much and is ultimately under control of a major corporation (Meta). Our own website and forum would be a place where owners, renters, and council can discuss ideas and issues. The forum could be moderated and have policies for dealing with abuse or inappropriate behavior. This could also serve as a good place to note work being done on the Copperstone property or buildings. Copperstone used to have its own website, now is a good time to bring it back. An additional option would be to have a group chat run through a service such as Discord or a Fediverse program, again with moderation and appropriate rules in place.
- Polls and surveys to get feedback on what owners/residents want to see or prioritize.
- Council meeting attendance. Encourage owners to attend and observe council meetings, and keep the meetings as open as possible. Meetings should be held in-person, as they used to be.
- Direct communication between council and owners/tenants, without a third party (management company) standing in-between. This is how communication was handled originally at Copperstone and it worked well.
- Council minutes posted online, emailed to those who ask (this is currently not happening, without explanation), and posted to the lobby of each building within two weeks of council meetings. Other notices would be similarly posted ASAP.
- Up-to-date instructions on common procedures/requests (fobs, directory listings) with clear directions (form required, etc.) posted both in lobbies of buildings and online.
- Approved renovation work in units communicated in advance by council to adjacent/affected units so people know when to expect noise or disruption. This also applies to any work being done in buildings that would generate significant noise or disruption.
Better maintenance and property care
- Faster response to common issues such as replacing burned out lights.
- Better preventative maintenance for weather hazards (icicles, icy steps, etc.)
- A sanctioned drop-off zone or zones where vehicles can stop for 15 minutes without a parking pass to load/unload.
- Assess future needs of buildings and property. For example, the original plan for the heritage courtyard could be considered and implemented.
- Volunteer work parties to tackle tasks around the property, as permitted vs. risk of liability, etc. This would not be a replacement for paid contract work.
- More consistent enforcement of bylaws, including: Guest parking, noise issues, smoking in common areas or decks, response to problematic tenants. This can also include measures to help with the above–not everything is about punishment and sending out infraction letters.
More social events and additional amenities
- Picnics/BBQs in the heritage courtyard in warmer months.
- Simple themed decorations for lobbies for notable events, not just Christmas.
- Consideration of opt-in for safe trick-or-treating at Halloween (this has been done in the past).
- Consideration of permanent picnic tables or other amenities.
- A small, covered area for smoking, away from buildings but on premises.
- Optional town hall meetings/open houses for in-person discussion and debate. These would be separate from official SGM/AGMs.
Updated bylaws, rules, council voting and other procedures
- Keeping all strata records, files and documents in secure cloud storage, rather than with a third party management company, so they are under direct council/Copperstone control.
- A commitment to examine existing Copperstone bylaws and rules, to ensure they are up-to-date, fair and easy to understand. We suggest an owners’ committee to review every bylaw and rule, with recommendations for new bylaws, revisions of some, and elimination of others if they are deemed no longer relevant.
- A guidebook for council:
- Outline expectations, duties and time commitment required
- Provide explicit rules on running meetings, holding votes and more
- If council lacks specific knowledge, they should tap into expertise in the Copperstone community
- The president should run meetings, and the secretary should record minutes. These are both being done by the strata property manager and should be handled by council—the council roles exist for a reason.
- Generally a more proactive council that takes initiative, and consults with owners, rather than relying on an outside management company to do most tasks.
Suggestions for new or amended bylaws
New or amended bylaws must be approved by owners via special resolutions at an SGM or AGM. This is a short list of ideas, some suggested by other owners.
- Term limits for council members
- Allow partners/spouses to observe council meetings and to run for council (this is commonly done by other stratas)
- Allow recording (both audio and video) of all council meetings
- Revamp process for voting for council, putting the process into a bylaw
- Regular schedule for independent audits (eg. every five years, etc.)
Have your own ideas? Submit them to admin@copperstonecommunity.org!