HNA News: "Dog" Walks Continue, Celebration Planning, Crime Watch Reports, Etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter*

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In This Newsletter

1. Nighttime Neighborhood-Safety "Dog" Walks Continue: Upcoming Dates

2. Tenth Anniversary Celebration Planning Committee Meeting, Sunday, August 27, 8-9 p.m.

3. Crime Watch Report: Bicycles Stolen on Wheeler Street

4. Crime Watch Report: Illegal Dumping on Webster Street & Response from Councilmember Worthington's Office

5. Crime Watch Report: Trash Rifled and Overturned on Webster Street

6. Crime Watch Report: Catalytic Converters Stolen in LeConte Neighborhood

7. Weed Whacker Found on Prince Street

8. Grant Award Letter from UC Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau

9. Link to Article on UC Chancellor's Community Partnership Grants

10. Link to Article on Ashby BART Task Force/South Berkeley Planning

While the recurring cycles of trash and theft issues are frustrating, it's great to see new people getting involved and working together to make a difference! In addition to calling the police if you notice anything suspicious, consider joining some of your intrepid neighbors for one of the nighttime "dog" walks (see item 1 for upcoming dates).

And remember we have some fun, community-building events coming up this fall, including both the Tenth Anniversary of Halcyon Commons on Sunday, September 24th (see item 2 for ways you can help with the planning) and a design charette in early October (date tba) for the new features in Halcyon Commons Park being funded by the UC Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund grant HNA just received.

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

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1. Nighttime Neighborhood-Safety "Dog" Walks Continue: Upcoming Dates

Pamela Dameron, who has been organizing the regular (and irregular) nighttime "dog" walks to improve neighborhood safety, reports:

"Four people made a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood [early last Sunday morning at 2:30 a.m.], which made a strong statement to those contemplating crimes on our streets.  I want to thank Adrian, Chris, and Dawn for joining me.

The officer (Mac) who patrols our neighborhood during the am hours also joined us.  He was pleased that we were making these walks and asked if we could make the 2:30 a.m. walk once a week. If enough people confirm, I will make another 2:30 a.m. walk next Sunday morning, Aug 20th. Mac sees our walks as a great way to prevent crime.

We also have a 10 p.m. walk scheduled for Friday evening Aug 18th (we will meet at Prince and Fulton), and Saturday evening at 10 p.m. Aug. 19th."

For more information and to get the schedule for the future (plus to confirm the dates listed here and let us know you're coming), contact Pamela Dameron <usasleigh@sbcglobal.net>. (Remember: No dog required to participate!)

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2. Tenth Anniversary Celebration Planning Committee Meeting, Sunday, August 27, 8-9 p.m.

Join us to plan the 10th anniversary Party of Halcyon Commons (Sunday, September 24, 2-5:30)

Planning Meeting
When: Sunday, August 27 , 8 to 9 p.m.

Where:  Home of John and Michelle Thelen Steere, 2329 Webster

What:  Scope out program and needs for the 10 -year celebration (music, speakers, invitees, kids' activities, food, etc.)

Call John at 849-1969 or email <jsteere@igc.org> to confirm.

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3. Crime Watch Report: Bicycles Stolen on Wheeler Street

A Wheeler Street neighbor reports:

"We live on Wheeler Street between Prince and Woolsey and our back yard was broken into and two bikes were stolen (around 7 p.m. Monday evening). I was only gone for about 20 minutes taking my dog on a walk, so I presume someone was watching our house.

We did call the police right after it happened but after hours of waiting for an officer to arrive we called them to to tell them to not come because we had to go to sleep :-(

 

The theft of bicycles is common in Berkeley  what disturbed me was that I was gone for such a short time (20 minutes) and that there were many people around in our neighborhood. So these guys were watching our neighborhood carefully and were very brazen in breaking in during daylight hours with other people around.

 

Something I should've written to the list earlier about: Earlier this week (Monday) I called the anonymous tip line on 2 guys that were staking out our neighborhood (Wheeler, Prince, Halcyon . . .) The police said they'd send an officer out. I assume they did."

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4. Crime Watch Report: Illegal Dumping on Webster Street & Response from Councilmember Worthington's Office

Neighbors on Halcyon and Webster report (copy of notification sent to Councilmember Kriss Worthington):

"[We] were going out for breakfast this morning and walked past 2321 Webster. Once again, someone (presumably someone moving out) has left a pile of garbage, including a trashy- looking sofa and mattress, monitor, and miscellaneous junk.

This has been a problem at this address in the past. Can the city get in touch with the landlord and/or manager to let them know that it is their responsibility to monitor and deal with this illegal dumping? (Perhaps dollars could be withheld from tenants' security/cleaning deposits to deal with carting off trash they leave behind?).

We would appreciate anything your office could do to bring the city's attention to this matter and to get our street clean again (otherwise, the trash attracts other trash, and the problem expands).

Thank you for your help!"

Councilmember Worthington replied:

"I will go look at this particular situation personally, and bring it to the attention of the property manager and company. [One of your neighbors] has proposed some policy suggestions which we are exploring to try to prevent these kinds of occurrences."

And later:

"Trish from North Berkeley Properties 849-0882 confirmed again today that they will remove the trash. If it is not gone in two more hours, we will remind them again." - Kriss W.

And on Thursday:

"We followed up with North Berkeley Properties AGAIN today. Talked to a third different person. Charlie assured us that their hauler Luis would get this today or tomorrow morning at the latest. We will call them in the morning if it is still there! Persistence can work. We might get rid of this faster if the city had picked it up, but my fear is that the company will not get the right message that it is legally their responsibility." - Kriss W.

Kriss Worthington
Berkeley City Council
2180 milvia Street
Berkeley; Ca. 94704
(510) 981-7170
kworthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Note to neighbors: Please contact Councilmember Worthington's office if trash is dumped again in front of 2321 Webster so his office can monitor the situation:  981-7170

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5. Crime Watch Report: Trash Rifled and Overturned on Webster Street

A neighbor on Webster Street near Halcyon reports:

"Someone rummaged through mikes and our garbage this morning [Tuesday]. The person was nice enough to put the garbage in our green bin.  Sadly

they dumped my neighbor's waste all over the side walk. I have called Officer Fombi about the recurring garbage dumping and will let you

guys know how it goes."

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6. Crime Watch Report: Catalytic Converters Stolen in LeConte Neighborhood

The following report was listed on the LeConte listserve by a LeConte neighbor (and given the prior report within the Halcyon neighborhood suggests a pattern):

"My neighbor told me that she had the catalytic converter stolen from her Toyota pickup recently and that another neighbor had the catalytic converter stolen off his Toyota.  The vehicles were parked on Carleton Street.  Are there other instances of catalytic converters being stolen in the neighborhood?

 There is a big demand for used catalytic converters for sale and recovery of the valuable platinum components, to replace defective converters on one's vehicle, and for sale to automotive repair and parts shops.  A catalytic converter costs up to $400.

 Toyotas are particularly vulnerable because the converters are bolted, not welded, and it takes only a few minutes to quietly remove the bolts that attach the catalytic converter to the vehicles exhaust system. 

 Neighbors are asked to be on the lookout for strangers working under vehicles, particularly at night, and report suspicious behavior to the police."

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7. Weed Whacker Found on Prince Street

A neighbor on Prince at Fulton asks:

"Anyone missing a gas powered weed whacker?  Found one left in front of my house. Email me with make and it's yours:  <infolist@comcast.net> "

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8. Grant Award Letter from UC Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau

The following letter was received announcing HNA's successful grant application:

Dear Ms. Carleton:

I am pleased to inform you that Halcyon Commons Rejuvenation Project has been awarded a grant of $13,640 from the UC Berkeley Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund for 2006/2007.

In this first year of the Fund, we received 45 grant proposals, totaling over $1 million in funding requests and representing valuable partnerships between UC Berkeley and the community. Your project is among those that most closely meet the Fund's missions and goals.

We are happy to support your important work and are certain your UC Berkeley partners look forward to working with you and sharing in the success of your project. . . .

On behalf of the Fund's Advisory Board and UC Berkeley, I extend our admiration for your vision, goals, and project plan. We wish you and your partners success in your efforts as you serve the Berkeley community.

With warm regards.

Yours sincerely,

Robert J. Birgeneau

Chancellor, University of California at Berkeley

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9. Link to Article on UC Chancellor's Community Partnership Grants

Berkeley Daily Planet (8/15/-06), "UC Gives 200K to Berkeley Groups to Compensate for Campus' Impact on City"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=08-15-06&storyID=24867

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10. Link to Article on Ashby BART Task Force/South Berkeley Planning

Berkeley Daily Planet (8/11/06) "Ashby BART Project Spurs Rise of Community Groups"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=08-11-06&storyID=24834

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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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