"Safe House" Community Cooperative Proposal Revisions
Building A Safe Community Through Organic Development
Idea to start Community Cooperative
- Purchase land in Upstate New York between $20,000 to $35,000
- Purchase storage containers for our living quarters. Each storage container will cost (minimum $500 maximum $1,500 per container (includes shipping)).
- Purchase machinery used for organic farming (cost and types of equipment have not been decided yet. Discussed in next meeting).
- Purchase 2 transportation vehicles (described below).
The business plan will outline how money is generated and what it will be used for.
Option 1. Between 25 to 50 Targeted Individuals (TI's) will save at least $1,000 by February 2013 (12 month period). For instance, let say you have $100 in your pocket in February 1st, by February of the next year, you should have accumulated $1,000.
Option 2. Between 50 to 100 TI's will be asked to contribute increments of $25, $50 or $100 per month. These amounts should accumulate to at least $1,000 by the 15 month.
Click HERE for our savings program
Option 1 and 2: Individuals who choose Option 1 will have first pick on land location, since their requirement was fulfilled in 12 months.
Option 3. We will seek out donations from wealthy individuals who believe in our mission. The mission described here is: To develop an environmental friendly atmosphere that fosters community organic growth business through farming practices.
Option 1, 2 & 3 can be combined to minimized the timeline to reach our goal from 12 months to 6 months.
Option 4. A non profit organization will be started by the 6th month. It will assist us in the grant making process and supplant our cooperative ideas.
Option 5. A non profit organization will be started by the 6th month. It will assist us in the grant making process, however, it will complement our cooperative ideas instead of replacing it.
Note: Starting a non profit organization will cost $150 and $500 for tax exempt status.
Option 6. We skip the non profit organization idea and seek foundations that grant monies to community cooperatives who grow organic produce.
Note: We have identified one such organization that grant these kind of entities. It is called Food Co-op Initiative. Grants are as high as $10,000 and can be applied for start-up costs. We can also seek grant support from government agencies such as the Food & Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture. A good website for researching potential government grants is:http://www.usa.gov.
Option 7. Once we have met our financial deadline for purchasing the land, we could apply for a loan from a banking or credit union institution. This will finance the storage containers, farming equipment and transportation vehicles. This corresponds to Option 1 and 2 only.
Option 8. TI's who support the cooperative project could start an online business. The business will have to file papers as a partnership, which protects the owners of this new enterprise. Filing fees are about $250 and hosting an e-commerce website generally cost about $150 a year. In order to meet our deadline, the business must generate the amount needed to purchase the land by the 12th/15th month.
Option 9. TI's who support the cooperative project could start an Investment Club. The investment club would consist of several individuals who would make decisions on stocks that they want to buy. Most experienced investors could trade OPTIONS, which would generate the necessary money needed to purchase the land. In order to meet the deadline, the investment club must generate the amount needed to purchase the land by the 12th/15th month.
Option 8 and 9 will operate as separate entities from the cooperative. Business owners or Investors would agree on the contributing amount. For instance, the amount agreed upon could be from 35 to 65 percent of the total earnings towards the cooperative.
Specifics:
We are currently looking at purchasing land that is between 10 to 30 Acres. The land will be located in upstate New York and must be ideal for farming. Furthermore, the land must be large enough to accommodate between 31 to 52 storage containers. However, a larger share of the land must be dedicated to farming.
Depending on the size of the land, it can be partitioned into two (or more) parcels of land.
Option 1. All 51 storage containers will occupied one parcel of land, which the rest will be used for farming.
Option 2. 21 of the 52 storage containers will occupied two parcels of land. Farming will take place in two locations.
Miscellaneous Items: Alternative Energy, Security, Shielding and Transportation
Alternative Energy
- Solar Panels (cost: $500 - $1,000)
- Wind Turbines (cost: $800 - 1,600)
- Storage Batteries (cost: $500 - $1000)
Security
- Cameras (16 camera DVR system cost: $1,000 - $2,000)
- GPS Jammers (cost: $200 - $500)
- Water Integation System (?)
- Fencing (cost depending on acres: over $5,000)
- Dog (cost: varies)
Transportation
2 vehicles will be purchased
- Van (cost: $1,000 - $2,000)
- Pick-up Truck (cost: $1,500 - $2,500)
Individuals will contribute a small percentage to cover GAS and Maintenance.
Farming Equipment
To be discussed in next meeting.
Your Obligation
Interested parties are required to complete an AFFIDAVIT that is no more than 10 pages long. On request, you will be assisted in fulfilling this obligation when time becomes available.
Contact US
Suggestions? Feel free to contact me via email at: bmarkforce@yahoo.com or call: (980) 285-7954.
Next Meeting Date: Friday, January 20th
Time: 9p EST
Call: 724-444-7444 code: 83319 # pin: 1 #
Chris J. Brunson
GSS/TICSD
