Running Agenda # 4

General Update
The process of obtaining all necessary documentation needed to purchase the Alfronso Valle Castillo property is well underway. In fact, all of the necessary documents are now in our possession except for two which need to be obtained by the Cooperative. To ensure the Cooperative obtains these as rapidly as possible we and our lawyer are working with them.

As mentioned in Running Agenda #3, legal precedence for cooperatives with all necessary documentation indicates that these documents will be issued. It is simply a matter of submitting the request and then waiting for it to be processed. Having exhaustively researched the legality of the cooperative’s documentation, we hold little doubt that the missing documents will be issued.

Of course, the only element of frustration at this time is the waiting. In order to give ourselves some peace of mind and allow us to thoroughly commence the on-site planning and design phase of the project, we intend to sign a Promesa de Venta in the coming weeks.

The Promesa de Venta is a promise from the Cooperative to sell the officially mapped 8.8mzas to Casa Tortuga at the agreed price (of $5,000 per mz) and at a time when they have acquired the two outstanding documents. It requires Casa Tortuga to pay a percentage of the total price as a deposit which is refunded in case the missing documents are not obtained by the specified date. In addition to these two primary objectives, the Promesa de Venta will also include a number of other clauses designed to protect both Casa Tortuga and the Cooperative. These clauses will then later be incorporated into the actual Sale Contract and include such points as;
1) Casa Tortuga takes possession of the property upon signing the Promesa de Venta
2) permission to create a road that runs over the Cooperative’s remaining land,
3) on-going access to our property via that newly created road,
4) permission to indefinitely place some electricity posts over the Cooperative’s land,
5) Casa Tortuga´s responsibility to maintain the water pipes that run across the 8.8 mzas and
6) joint responsibility to maintain the water pipes that run from the Mother tube to the beginning of the 8.8mza property.

Legalities
Having completed the second legal check we can confirm there are no apparent issues with the property’s title. Moreover, we have now received the following official documentation;
1. Ownership contract from current owners of the property
2. Map of the ´to be purchased´ land certified by registered topographers
3. History of previous owners as certifies by local Registry office
4. Certification of liens and encumbrances
5. Municipal Solvency (obtained by the cooperative)

There remain two outstanding documents (listed below) which both need to be obtained by the cooperative. In order to apply for these, the cooperative first needs to fulfil some preliminary tasks. These can also be viewed below.
1. Solvency OOT (Office of Rural Titling) (estimated application date 15th/12)
But first need to:
1. Obtain Constancia Catastoral
But first need to:
a. Obtain topographical map of full 110mza property (est.
completion date 19th/11)
b. Inscribe property in Catastro with topographical plan (est.
completion date 14th/12)
2. Actualised Constitutional Act no older than 6mths (est. completion
date 19th/11)


2. Authorisation to sell from Labour Ministry (est. completion date 19th/11)
But first need to:
1. Obtain actualised Constitutional Act no greater than 6mths old (est.
completion date 19th/11)

Please note, the Solvency OOT is the only document for which it is difficult to predict a completion date.

Permaculture Design
We have already begun the Permaculture design process. Thus far we have created a Sector Analysis, Zoning Plan and Recommendations Guide. All three of these documents can be viewed on the Blog under the new link called Permaculture.

Building & Layout Design
We have now conducted a few preliminary soil tests from different spots on the property in order to identify the ratio of soil content (i.e. clay, silt, sand, gravel, etc.). This is necessary for determining what ingredients need to be added in order to make the soil suitable for earthbag construction.

Energy & Infrastructure
We are currently waiting on quotations from two Union Fenosa building contractors. These quotations pertain to providing grid access to the entire property.

Blog Update and Maintenance
A number of updates have or will be made to the Casa Tortuga Blog over the next few days. Specifically, under the KnowledgeNet link there are already a number of changes. These include;
* Site rearrangement: This has been done to help you more easily navigate your
way through the wealth of information available to you.
* Onsite book advertisements: You can now purchase on our site some of the
books that we are finding invaluable to the realisation of our project.
* Information about Open Source and Participation

In addition to the above changes, we will be adding a new link on the main Eco-lodge page. Permaculture is an integral part of our project and impacts everything we are trying to achieve. As such, we have created a new Permaculture link. Under this you will currently find Casa Tortuga´s Basic Topographical Map, Sector Analysis and Zonings Guide. As we continue to develop the Permaculture design of Casa Tortuga more information will be added to this so keep an eye out for the changes!

Relocation of Casa Tortuga
Having identified a number of options for the temporary relocation of Casa Tortuga, we are yet to make a decision.

Next Steps:
13th/11 – Confirm GPS coordinates are not needed for
topographical map
13th/11 - Speak to OOT and obtain feedback on likelihood of a
speedy resolution regarding the application for
Solvency OOT
13th/11 – 14th/11 Cooperative clears border of 110mz in preparation for
topographers
15th/11 - Cooperative applies for actualised Constitutional Act
and Authorisation to Sell
15th/11 – 18th/11 – Create topographical map of 110mz property
19th/11 - Cooperative obtains Constitutional Act and
Authorisation to Sell
21st/11 - Confirm contents of Promesa de Venta with
Supervisory Board and obtain approval to proceed
23rd/11 - Sign Promesa de Venta



Ongoing – Research into relevant permaculture and ecological design & construction topics;
· Dry Composting Toilets
· Natural Swimming Pools
· Permaculture Design
· Earthbag Construction (Superadobe)
· Natural Plastering
· Road Construction
· Self Sufficiency
· Renewable Energy
· Interior Design
- Search for rental property on Isla de Ometepe

Important Sources:
Natural Swimming Pools, (2005), Michael Littlewood
Permaculture, A Designers Manual, Bill Mollison
Earthbag Building, Kaki Hunter and Donald Kiffmeyer
The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency, John Seymour
Building Green, Clarke Snell and Tim Callahan
The Humanure Handbook, A Guide to Composting Human Manure (2005), Joseph Jenkins
International Technology Development Group – Practical Answers to Poverty, www.itdg.org