Dear Community – some good news!
FF and EF are in advanced positive negotiations on the community buy-out.
As a first step, we are focused on getting “Options” signed off.
These will give the community via EF the option to buy many of the assets in the Park from FF, leaving FF the core area it needs for a mini-campus to conduct its education activities. The goal is to have a “Heads of Agreement” completed by mid-February.
Options are a great win-win first step. They are a financial-legal instrument which define specific assets to be bought (land and buildings) at a defined price, within a certain period. Options give the holder the right to buy at that price, and assets can’t be sold to anyone else during that time.
Options give the community the certainty to put the effort into “Common Visioning”; the finance raising; and detailed planning, knowing that EF has the legal option to buy, and it is not just a pipe dream.
EF will be consulting about the community buy-out in close partnership with NFA (there are big overlaps between our democratic set up, our members, our values, our intentions, and our board/council leaders) and any other organizations who are interested in being involved in getting to a Common Vision. NFA, too, has a membership that reaches beyond residents, bringing more collective wisdom – so close collaboration will give us the widest possible local input.
An agreed set of options allows FF to focus on visioning the future of its education programs knowing that a community lead group is now supporting the future of how community assets will evolve.
On the local community’s side, it gives us the time to test out whether there is widespread support. It doesn’t lock the community in to do anything yet, so during the option period EF can deeply consult with the community; plan with the community; and make sure there is democratic appetite to do this, because it won’t happen without genuine buy-in. Options can also help overcome fragmentation by providing a unified area to do planning over.
During the option term, EF, along with any organisational partners in the community who wish to help, will be focused on finding out what the community’s needs are and getting on with detailed planning to meet those needs. The focus will be on manifesting the key priorities – sourced from residents and locals themselves, in a democratic, community-led way.
From EF’s perspective we would like to publicly acknowledge and appreciate that the FF leadership (Chair, CEO, Trustees) have been a great negotiating partner and are following through on their promise last year to be a good community member, working to transfer assets into the community and ensure local agency in the process.
From FF’s perspective, we appreciate the commitment and hard work from EF leaders towards finding a way forward which will allow assets in The Park to remain in community ownership and continue to be used in the spirit that has been at the core of our community for six decades. As FF focuses on its educational mission, we look forward to working together through this period of transition and continuing to collaborate on the evolution of this beautiful and innovative demonstration of eco- and spirit based living.
Please do keep sending supportive prayers and visualisations for success, as we find a way forward that benefits the whole community and, of course, beyond that serves the good of the Whole itself, creating a better world – one of the founding spiritual and ethical intentions here.
Mark Anderson (Chair, FF); Terry Gilbey (Chief Executive, FF)
Mari Hollander (Chair, EF); Rupert Davis (Executive Vice Chair, EF)
Contacts:
Terence.gilbey@findhorn.org
2.mari.hollander@gmail.com
Rupert@sustainablemeans.com