HNA News: Crime watch success, Ashby BART Task Force nominations, etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter*

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In This Newsletter

1. Crime Watch Success: Police Catch Car Burglary Suspect!

2. Nominations Open for Ashby BART Transit Village Task Force (Due 4/6)

3. Link for Background Information on Ashby BART Transit Village

4. Crime Watch Report: Stolen Car Abandoned on Deakin

5. Crime Watch Report: Mail Stolen on Prince Street at Fulton

6. B&W Liquors Update

7. Perspectives on Adeline Street

A special thanks to those who turned out to help with last Saturday's weeding work party at Halcyon Commons Park, especially in the face of uncertain weather. Even with a small crew, we accomplished a lot. Sometime in the next few weeks, we'll be scheduling an hour-long late afternoon supplemental work party to mop up the tasks the rain kept us from finishing. Thanks too to all who distributed flyers to get the word out, and to Whole Foods Market for supplying  delicious food to keep us well fueled.

Also note our recent crime watch success (see item #1), and let's extend a special thanks to the neighbor who noticed the burglary in progress and called the police promptly -  and to the police for their rapid response and successful pursuit of the suspect!

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

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1. Crime Watch Success: Police Catch Car Burglary Suspect!

A neighbor on Prince Street reports:

"I just wanted to report a burglary and apprehension on Prince Street [on Monday, March 27]. The police said that the suspect was breaking into cars on Webster at Halcyon and a call was made [by a neighbor walking a dog] to the police. The police responded rapidly, and they caught the suspect in front of our house at Prince and Deakin. The suspect was arrested on auto burglary charges and violation of parole (for burglary). They said he will probably spend the next 18 months in jail. Just wanted you to know that our neighborhood's watchful eyes and quick response are working!"

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2. Nominations Open for Ashby BART Transit Village Task Force (Due 4/6)

Ed Church, Project Director on the proposed Ashby Transit Village for the SBNDC, passed along the following information concerning submitting nominations for a Task Force related to the project:

Purpose of the Task Force

To pursue implementation of City policies regarding housing, economic revitalization and environmental sustainability as they relate to potential transit-oriented development at the West parking lot of the Ashby BART station, the Berkeley City Council on December 13, 2005, authorized the South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation (SBNDC) to convene a Task Force to conduct a public process to accomplish the following:

* Identify the basic elements of a potential development at the site and the desired qualifications of potential developers

* Make written recommendations to the City Council which can be the basis for Council's issuing an RFQ (Request For Qualifications)

* Review responses to the RFQ and make recommendations to the Council regarding selection of the developer(s).

It is anticipated that this process will take three to six months.  Additional Council guidance includes assuring that genuinely affordable housing is part of the development, that South Berkeley residents and business owners play a significant role, that other Berkeleyans are included, and that the Council will be solicited for its recommendations.

Qualifications for Task Force members include the following:

* Familiarity with  housing, economic, environmental or general South Berkeley issues

* Ability to participate in the public process, which will include night and/or weekend meetings

* Having a residence or business in Berkeley

In constructing the Task Force, the South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation will strive for representativeness and diversity in perspectives and demographics.

Persons will not be considered for membership in the Task Force if they might be hired as consultants to the project, if they might be parties to responding to the RFQ, or if they could have other direct financial interests in the project.

Make a Nomination for the Task Force:

Nominations should include information as to how the nominee meets the Qualifications.  Pertinent professional experience, residence or business information, and personal references can be included.

Please email nominations to Project Director Ed Church at <SoBa@southberkeley.org>, or mail them to SBNDC, 1767 Alcatraz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94703. Nominations must be received no later than April 6, 2006.

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3. Link for Background Information on Ashby BART Transit Village

Neighbors of Ashby BART continue to offer the most complete archives of background material on the Ashby Transit Village proposal:

http://nabart.com/

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4. Crime Watch Report: Stolen Car Abandoned on Deakin

A Webster Street neighbor reports:

"Can you also add to crime alert that a stolen car was abandoned at the corner of [Webster] and Deakin early Sunday morning (March 19).  I talked to the police person as he was doing the write-up."

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5. Crime Watch Report: Mail Stolen on Prince Street at Fulton

A Prince Street neighbor reports:

"I just had some mail theft. Someone stole one of those credit card checks and cashed it. Perhaps it would be good to have the post office come by and tell us what they're doing, and what types of locks we can use -  so that we don't all have to replace our lovely mailboxes."

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6. B&W Liquors Update

Today's Daily Planet (March 28, 2006) has an article on ZAB's decision to declare Black & White Liquors a public nuisance:

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=03-28-06&storyID=23752

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7. Perspectives on Adeline Street

Berkeley resident David Soffa has written two recent pieces in the Daily Planet that comment on the width of Adeline Street in relation to the fate of the Ashby BART parking lot:

Daily Planet, March 3, 2006 ("Ashby-Adeline Intersection Fix Should Be Part of Plan")

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=03-03-06&storyID=23558

Daily Planet, March 28 22006 ("Adeline Should Not Be So Wide")

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=03-28-06&storyID=23765

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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/Adeline area of south Berkeley, including community-building potlucks, greening projects, disaster preparedness meetings, and work parties in Halcyon Commons Park. 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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