2018 Highlights

What a big year!

We finished designing our future 2100 square-foot Common House, with input from the whole community and a dedicated team of Common House shepherds, and submitted plans to the city. Construction is anticipated to begin in spring of 2019 and there will be lots of opportunity to help with this project that is an important part of our community vision.

We gradually emptied and dismantled the red shed, on the site where the Common House will be built, in the center of the village, and used part of it to build a new garden shed/gathering spot on the edge of our central open space.

Jim, Terri and Bekka got their occupancy permit, and are living in their beautiful, innovative home, with living roof, trombe wall, many hand-built touches.

We welcomed Nancy Riou as our second future tiny house dweller, and construction got underway on the two small homes on our tiny house lot.

Gene and Crystal, and their children Byron and Rowan, moved on to their new digs in their homemade yurt, on nearby farmland.

Nancy Powell joined the community, buying the house built and formerly occupied by Marc and Zhaleh and family, and is settling in and thriving, along with her elderly pup.

We welcomed Samara Jade as a long-term guest.

We consensed on undertaking a year-long experiment in using Sociocracy as our governance model, conducted trainings, organized ourselves into 4 main circles (Organization, Resources, People, and Land and Animals), several subcircles, as well as a coordinating HUB. Subcircles currently include governance, legal, finance, animals, transforming conflict, membership, Economic Access Council, common house, facilities.

Our gardens provided abundant food for the community over the growing season, receiving twice weekly boosts via fun work parties Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

We received frequent visits from work-away guests, helping out the Shelley-Rose family, and from grandchildren, who are forming lasting friendships with our ecovillage kids.

We celebrated the seasons, including a Winter Solstice fire circle and giving circle with a fabulous meal and toasts to the incredible people that make up the Port Townsend EcoVillage.

Post 2018 update: In April 2019 we sold the last of our 12 lots to Hillary and Andrew and their two children River and Aspen, filling in our village to the point that our only remaining vacancy is one tiny house site. If you are interested in being that lucky last one(s), please explore our website further and contact us at info@ptecovillage.net.

Looking forward in 2019 to…

Finding a member or members for the last tiny house site
Getting going on building our Common House
Reconfiguring fencing and parking
Continuing our Sociocracy experiment, incorporating feedback, fleshing out our circles and subcircles and adjusting our governance system as necessary.
Deepening our connections with each other, the land and the greater community.
Basking in gratitude for the heartfelt contributions of all our residents to this amazing EcoVillage, as we continue to move toward our beautiful vision.