HNA News: Volunteer Opportunities; Meet the Candidates; 2:30 a.m. Walk Sunday, etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter*

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In This Newsletter

1. Tenth Anniversary of Halcyon Commons: Simple Volunteer Opportunities

2. Two Opportunities to Meet the Candidates for City Council, District 7 (Councilmember Kriss Worthingon & George Beier): Sat. Sept. 16 & Thurs. Sept. 21

3. Council Item on Expanding Eco-Pass Program from Councilmember Kriss Worthington

4. Another 2:30 a.m. Neighborhood Safety "Dog" Walk This Sunday, September 17

5. Aquatic Park & Shorebird Park Clean-up Saturday, September 16, 9 a.m.-12 noon

Many thanks to all who helped with last Sunday's Weeding Work Party in the Park! Thanks, too, to Bob Maron and the Parks Dept. staff who were out cleaning up in the park yesterday and this morning. It's nice to see our park getting some TLC in preparation for our Tenth Anniversary Celebration October 1! We'll be doing another quick cleanup on a weekday late afternoon a week or so before the event.

Also, please consider helping with one of the simple volunteer tasks to help make the Tenth Anniversary Celebration a success (see item 1).

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

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1. Tenth Anniversary of Halcyon Commons: Simple Volunteer Opportunities

TENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION of HALCYON COMMONS PARK

Sunday, October 1, 1-4 p.m.

* Block Party in the Park and Halcyon Court (from Prince to Webster)

* Music from Forreal foreals (a Brazilian inspired jazz-rock-reggae band) [and possibly another local group]

* Light Refreshments

* Brief Program on Creation of the Park with words from the founding organizers

* Special guests who used to live in the neighborhood and helped with the park

Festive Finger Foods Needed

Please contact John Steere <<jsteere@igc.org> if you would be able to contribute a platter of finger foods (hors d'ouevres, snacks, or dessert items) to make the day special.

Logistical Supplies Needed

Please contact Kate Day <katherin.day@sbcglobal.net> (with cc to John Steere <<jsteere@igc.org>)  if you can loan us some tables, chairs (we need about 60, so we'll most likely need chairs from several sources), or a speaker's podium for the day of the event.

Set-Up and Clean-Up Crews Needed

(Event itself is from 1-4 p.m., Sunday, October 1)

Please contact John Steere <<jsteere@igc.org> if you would be able to help set up an hour before the event or clean up the hour after.

Help Organizing Special Activities for Kids

Please contact Dawn Rubin <familyrubin@comcast.net> (with cc to John Steere <<jsteere@igc.org>) if you'd like to help plan some fun activities for kids on the day of the event.

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2. Two Opportunities to Meet the Candidates for City Council, District 7 (Councilmember Kriss Worthingon & George Beier): Sat. Sept. 16 & Thurs. Sept. 21

The Halcyon Neighborhood is represented by two City Councilmembers: Max Anderson in District 3 (west side of Wheeler Street and blocks to the west) and Councilmember Kriss Worthington in District 7 (east side of Wheeler Street and blocks to the east). Because City Council races are staggered, only District 7 is up for a vote this November. Councilmember Worthington and his opponent, George Beier, will be appearing at two upcoming events.

Meet the Candidates' Coffee

Saturday, September 16, 7-9 p.m.

2221 Prince Street (corner of Fulton), home of Dan & Yolanda

Meet the candidates for District 7 over dessert and coffee at the home of Dan & Yolanda. Councilmember Kriss Worthington, the incumbent, and George Beier, President of Willard Neighborhood Association, are both running for the District 7 seat. Come meet them, hear about their plans for our district, and let them know your concerns. Wheelchair accessible.

LeConte Neighborhood Association Candidates' Forum for District 7

Thursday, September 21, LeConte School, 7:30 p.m., including Q&A

Councilmember Kriss Worthington and challenger George Beier will be present to answer questions focused on our South Berkeley neighborhoods.

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3. Council Item on Expanding Eco-Pass Program from Councilmember Worthington

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who represents the eastern half of our neighborhood, sent word of the following Council item his office is sponsoring on the September 26 Consent Calendar to expand the EcoPass program aimed at reducing traffic:

SUBJECT:  Exploring the expansion of the Eco-Pass program to U.C. B. ,Alta Bates/Sutter  and other businesses along the Telegraph Avenue Corridor.

RECOMMENDATION: That the Berkeley City Council support exploring the expansion of the Eco-Pass program to U.C. B. , Alta Bates/Sutter and other businesses along the Telegraph Avenue Corridor through actively researching the possibility of matching funds from federal, state and regional funds.

BACKGROUND: For many years there has been discussion and a few meetings and rallies promoting the idea of Eco-Pass for U.C. and other area employees. The idea has not yet achieved sufficient organizational support, other than the City of Berkeley doing a program for city employees. The time has come to move from rhetoric to reality by actively exploring the feasibility of gaining matching funds from federal, state, and regional funding sources. Changed circumstances which might contribute to greater success include:

A.C. Transit is currently implementing Rapid Bus on Telegraph scheduled for this November. They are also considering various proposals for Bus Rapid Transit for the Telegraph corridor through Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro. Considering the Eco-Pass as part of that project or as an alternative to part of that project would be timely in the coming months.

U.C. has a new Chancellor and a new head of Parking and Transportation, neither of whom has publicly expressed hostility to this idea. In fact, when I mentioned that I wanted the city and university to join forces to seek additional funding, the Chancellor personally came over and said we should work together on such ideas. There may be a way to gain greater results from re-programming the money currently used for the Bear Pass into a more effective Eco-Pass.

Alta Bates/Sutter is spending increasing amounts of money on transportation, and has not yet met their goals for reducing parking and driving needs. If there were matching founds secured, they might well be willing to try a model program of an Eco-Pass to see if that improves their success rate.

The next stage of this research involves bringing together representatives of the Mayor and Council, with U.C. administration and employees, Alta Bates management and employees, A.C. Transit, and other interested business people and residents.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:  NONE to the city currently

CONTACT PERSON: Councilmember Kriss Worthington  981-7170.

 
Kriss Worthington
Councilmember, District 7
City of Berkeley
2180 Milvia St., 5th Floor
Berkeley, CA 94704
p. 510.981.7170
f.  510.981.7177

e. kworthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us

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4. Another 2:30 a.m. Neighborhood Safety "Dog" Walk This Sunday, September 17

Pamela Dameron, organizer of our Nighttime Neighborhood Safety "Dog" Walks, writes:

This is just an update on our next scheduled 2:30 a.m. walk,which is late Saturday night, early Sunday morning, September 17.  We will meet in Halcyon Commons Park (Halcyon at Prince).  Please let me know if you can make it, because we need at least 4 people to confirm for the walk to take place.

For more information and to get the schedule for the future (plus to confirm the date 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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5. Aquatic Park & Shorebird Park Clean-up Saturday, September 16, 9 a.m.-12 noon

An involved neighbor asked us to spread the news about this:

The 22nd Annual Shoreline Cleanup

The trash on our shorelines is dangerous to us and to the animals that live there. You can make a difference! We need more volunteers, so please join us and bring your family and friends.

FOR SHOREBIRD PARK/ BERKELEY MARINA:

Staging area is behind the Seabreeze Market at University & Frontage Rd.  Ride your bike or take the 9 bus.

 

FREE DROP OFF OF ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER PARTS FOR CLEANUP VOLUNTEERS.

 

For more information:  http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina/marinaexp/cleanup.htm

See http://icobweb/press/release.asp?relid=2365

for more info,, contact Patty Donald <pdonald@ci.berkeley.ca.us> or 981-6720

 

FOR AQUATIC PARK:

Those who want to clean along Berkeley's "inner bayshore" in Aquatic Park should sign in at 9 a.m. at the table at the north end of the main lagoon, where Addison St. meets the ramp for the Addison St. Bike/Ped Bridge.

 

FOR EITHER CLEANUP:

Bring gloves, hat, sturdy shoes & sunscreen.

 

Want to learn more about Berkeley Partners for Parks?  Visit our website at www.bpfp.org

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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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