HNA News: Post-Holiday Potluck, Transit Village, Crime Watch . . .

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter*

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In This Newsletter

1. Neighborhood Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, Sunday, 1/29, 6-9 p.m.

2. Citizen's Information Forum on Transit Village, Tues., 1/17, 7-9 p.m.

3. Other Transit Village Information

4. Crime Watch Alert: Restraining Order for 3000 Block of Wheeler Street (at Prince)

5. Free Emergency Preparedness Classes & Planning for the Needs of Special Populations

6. HNA Steering Committee Meeting Sun. 1/22, 5-6:30 p.m.

Many exciting neighborhood projects are in the works for 2006; there are also a variety of issues and projects that will have a big impact on our neighborhood as the year unfolds. The HNA E-Newsletter will help keep you informed. We now also have an HNA Listserve as well as a brand-new blog/website with past newsletters posted if you'd like to participate in discussions or review earlier information (special thanks to Lupe Alcala for setting up the blog!). See the end of this newsletter for more information. And as always, if you have items or crime watch reports you'd like to see included in the next newsletter, please email them to me at ngc2@mindspring.com. Happy New Year!

-Nancy Carleton, HNA Co-Chair and E-Newsletter Editor

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1. Neighborhood Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, Sunday, 1/29, 6-9 p.m.

6:00-6:40 Appetizers at the Dawn & Neal's, 3049 Wheeler

6:45-7:25 Salads at Carolyn's, 3041 Fulton

7:30-8:15 Main Dishes at Susan's, 3044-A Halcyon

8:20-9:00 Desserts at John & Michelle's, 2329 Webster

Make sure your new year's gotten off to a good start by joining your neighbors for this fabulous post-holiday feast where we progress from house to house and sample a range of delicious courses. This is our most popular community potluck event of the year, so don't miss out! Feel free to join us for all four courses, or just for one or two (substitute a dish if your name doesn't match the course you're attending). And don't forget to bring something tasty!

Potluck suggestions:

* A-E: Dessert *  F-K: Salad *  L-R:  Appetizer *  S-Z Main Dish

Please bring a dish to share, and, if so inspired, a beverage to share as well (it really helps if enough folks bring beverages too). Children welcome! More info: 644-0172

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2. Citizen's Information Forum on Transit Village, Tues., 1/17, 7-9 p.m.

South Berkeley Senior Center (2939 Ellis St. at Ashby)

     
The forum is being organized by residents who would be affected by the designation of an Ashby BART transit district.  The format will be a panel discussion with the majority of time to be left for public comments and questions. 

Five speakers will share their knowledge and experiences regarding transit villages, redevelopment, and planning processes.  The speakers are:
        * Sam Dykes, Alcatraz Avenue Merchants Association

        * Zelda Bronstein, former chair of the Planning Commission

        * Shirley Dean, former Mayor and councilmember

        * Wilson Riles, former Oakland City Councilmember

        * Bob Brokl, North Oakland neighborhood activist

Questions to Consider:
* Are you concerned that the Berkeley City Council approved a Caltrans grant application to plan a "transit village" at the Ashby BART station?
* What is a "transit village development district" and how does it differ from a redevelopment district?
* What effects would a 300-unit mixed-use project have on neighborhood traffic, parking, businesses, and the flea market?

* Do you live/work within the proposed district bounded by California, Stuart, Fulton, and the Berkeley-Oakland border? How would your home or business be affected?

* California law provides a 25% density bonus and "expedited permitting" for transit village development districts. Does that mean upzoning? Would it limit public participation in the permit process?

This is intended as a first meeting, to be followed with a next steps meeting.

For more information, please consult http://nabart.com/, a website generously created by a neighbor on Woolsey Street.  It includes related documents (e.g. the CalTrans grant application), some history, news articles and more.

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3. Other Transit Village Information

Link to article by Mayor Tom Bates and Councilmember Max Anderson entitled "Transit Village Would Enhance Area," which appeared in today's Daily Planet:

http://www.berkeleydaily.org/article.cfm?issue=01-13-06&storyID=23198

From the Mayor's website: "Last month, the Berkeley City Council voted to apply for a state grant that will pay for an extensive community process to explore the feasibility of a residential and commercial development on the West parking lot at the Ashby BART station.  This has prompted considerable discussion in the community.  Council Member Max Anderson and I have written a brief article explaining the City's decision and a little bit about the process.  You can read it on my website. <http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Mayor/PR/statement2005-11205.htm>"

Link to article by Robert Lauriston entitled "Would Transit Village Require Upzoning?" in today's Daily Planet:

http://www.berkeleydaily.org/article.cfm?issue=01-13-06&storyID=23197

According to the Mayor's office, the City of Berkeley is working on details for a city-sponsored community workshop on the Transit Village proposal. The HNA E-Newsletter will share the details when they are made available.

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4. Crime Watch Alert: Restraining Order for 3000 Block of Wheeler Street (at Prince)

Neighbors on Wheeler Street want to alert people concerning a potentially dangerous situation on their block. A temporary restraining order is in place against a woman named Malia Tui, who has made threats against residents near the corner of Wheeler and Prince.

Description:  female, 5'6", 220 lbs., 44 years old, Samoan heritage with light brown skin, long black hair.

If you see her anywhere within 500 yards of the corner of Prince/Wheeler, please CALL THE POLICE USING 911. Then, call Officer Wilson #24 at 981-5990 and leave her a message (name, address, phone optional).

If you wish more details concerning this matter or want to receive a jpg photo of Malia Tui's mug shot, please include your request in a reply to this email and the newsletter editor will forward them to you.

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5. Free Emergency Preparedness Classes & Planning for the Needs of Special Populations

Berkeley's Office of Emergency Services (OES) offers free classes in Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) to anyone who lives or works in Berkeley.  Here's the class schedule for January and February 2006. More than 1,000 Berkeley residents have taken emergency preparedness classes since Hurricane Katrina. We want to keep up the momentum. 
 
*           Saturday, January 14, 10-12 - Basic Personal Preparedness (2727 College Avenue)
*           Saturday, January 14, 1:30-3:30 - Basic Personal Preparedness (2727 College Avenue)
*           Saturday, January 28, 10-12 - Train the Trainer (997 Cedar Street)
*           Saturday, February 4, 9-12 - Disaster Mental Health (997 Cedar Street)
*           Saturday, February 11, 9-12 - Disaster First Aid (997 Cedar Street)
*           Saturday, February 25, 10-12 - Neighborhood Organizing (997 Cedar Street)
 

Call 510-981-5605 or 510-981-5506 to register, or for information. You may also register on-line at  <http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes.html> www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes.html.

Planning for the Needs of Special Populations:

Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters (CARD)

For more information on CARD, please visit http://www.FirstVictims.org

Created after the October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake to address the concerns of vulnerable residents whose preparedness, response and recovery needs could not be fully addressed by traditional disaster response agencies (FEMA, Red Cross, Offices of Emergency Services, etc.) CARD offers a diverse, "no fear, no threat messages" empowerment-based curriculum designed to address the cultural, social and financial needs and learning styles of community agencies serving  our increasingly diverse, global society.

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6. HNA Steering Committee Meeting Sun. 1/22, 5-6:30 p.m.

HNA's Steering Committee will be meeting Sunday, January 22, from 5-6:30 p.m. to discuss plans for the new year, including disaster preparedness, crime watch, celebration of the tenth anniversary of Halcyon Commons Park, and more. If you're interested in joining the steering committee and are willing to do some work in between meetings to help move our neighborhood forward on these initiatives, please contact HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton at <ngc2@mindspring.com> or 644-0172 for details.

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The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime watch notices as well as announcements about events of interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Shattuck area of south Berkeley. If you're receiving this email, either you signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor may have forwarded it to you. Please note that to prevent spam, HNA always uses bcc and does not share your email address with third parties. If you wish to be removed from this list, please reply to HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton/Halcyon Neighborhood Association <ngc2@mindspring.com>. Please feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

HNA Listserve:  If you would like to receive messages (and participate in discussions) on the HNA Listserve, please reply to Halcyon Neighborhood Association <ngc2@mindspring.com> indicating your interest, and you will receive an invitation to join.

HNA Blog: If you would like to view previous newsletters online (and comment via a blog format), please visit http://halcyoncourt.blogspot.com/

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