HNA News: Potluck Sunday; Street trees need summer watering!; etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter*

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Items appearing in the HNA E-Newsletter are deemed to be of general interest to neighbors but do not necessarily reflect the views of Halcyon Neighborhood Association (HNA), its Steering Committee, or the Editor. The Editor's introductory comments express her own personal viewpoint.

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Items in This E-Newsletter

1. Halcyon Community Potluck, Sunday, June 24, 6-8 p.m., 2116 Emerson (Councilmember Worthington Attending & Police Invited)

2. Street Trees Need Summer Watering! (especially those planted in past couple of years)

3. Link to Article on Increasing Police in Response to Violent Crime Rates

4. Link to Article on Fire Station Flags at Half-Staff & Berkeley Fire Fighters Association Announcement

5. Pools for Berkeley Meeting, Mondy, June 25, 7 p.m., North Berkeley Senior Center

6. Affordable and Healthy  Take-Out Dinners Available to Berkeley's Families Every Wednesday at San Pablo Park

7. Useful Links to Crime Statistics

8. Another Take on May and June Armed Robberies in the Bateman Neighborhood

9. Elmwood District Clean up,  Sunday, June 24,  10 a.m.-2 p.m.

10. Link to Article on Wright's Garage (Proposed Development at Ashby/College)

11.  Free Seismic Retrofit Presentation featuring Howard Cook, Sat., June 23, 10. a.m. - noon, Open House Senior Center, 6500 Stockton Street, El Cerrito

12. Suspect in Robberies Apprehended

* For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007

* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

Editor's Introductory Note:

While the recent series of armed robberies in our neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods is alarming, there are things we can all do to help prevent crime - or at least reduce the number of incidents. One of the most important is an act mentioned many times in this newsletter: Call the police immediately if you notice anything or anyone suspicious. Call the nonemergency number to ask for the police to drive by and check it out, or call the emergency number if a crime is in progress (see numbers under the Useful Contact Information placeholder at the end of each E-News). Already the obvious upswing in drug activity in Halcyon Commons park (as reported in past E-Newsletters) has been reduced dramatically by several of us taking the responsibility to call and report each suspected incident. The more we cultivate a culture of personal responsibility, the better we'll be able to do our part as a neighborhood in partnering with the police and city government to reduce crime.

Another action you can take is to get to know your neighbors; over time, knowing one another better will help us know who is part of the neighborhood and who isn't. In this way, it will be easier to tune into the "anyone suspicious" part of the prior recommendation and keep a friendly but watchful eye open. A fun opportunity to do this is this Sunday's community potluck (see item 2), which will also be attended by Councilmember Kriss Worthington and possibly a beat officer in response to neighborhood concerns about violent crime. And if you can't make the potluck this Sunday, there will be a couple of opportunities to get to know your neighbors in August, including the National Night Out Against Crime on August 7, which HNA will be participating in with a potluck in Halcyon Commons park followed by a walk through the larger neighborhood. See the For Your Calendar placeholder at the end of the HNA E-News and set aside some of the dates in your calendar now!

Finally, while Halcyon Neighborhood Association steers clear of getting involved in the sometimes contentious Berkeley political process, we have always done our best to pass on information so individual citizens can take action. The Useful Contact Information placeholder at the end of each E-News makes it easy for you to email your councilmember or the entire City Council to express your concerns and share your ideas. Just a reminder: The City budget for the next fiscal year will be voted on at next Tuesday's Council meeting. If you have opinions about how the Council can best prioritize its resources, now's the time to email them with your two cents.

And don't forget to water your street trees this summer (see item 2)!

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

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1. Halcyon Community Potluck, Sunday, June 24, 6-8 p.m., 2116 Emerson (Councilmember Worthington Attending & Police Invited)

Halcyon Community Potluck Sunday, June 24, 6-8 p.m.

at the home of Jessica and David

2116 Emerson (between Wheeler & Shattuck, two blocks north of Prince)

Editor's Note: District 7 Councilmember Kriss Worthington will attend the latter part of the event to address concerns about recent armed robberies in the neighborhood and nearby, and the Community Services Bureau of the Police Department has asked our beat officer to stop by for half an hour (the beat officer's presence will depend in part on what calls are coming in that evening on the beat).

The potluck offers a chance to socialize and share neighborhood news. Please bring a potluck item to share. If so inspired, it's really helpful if you can also bring a beverage to share. Children welcome.

Potluck suggestions: Appetizer: A-F k Main Dish: G-N k Salad: T-Z k Dessert: O-S

(If not obvious, kindly attach a label with ingredients for your dish to alert those with vegetarian and other diets.)

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2. Street Trees Need Summer Watering! (especially those planted in past couple of years)

A Prince Street neighbors sends the following reminder:

I noticed that some of the trees planted in the last couple of years appear to be in dire stress. In particular, I noticed on Monday or Tuesday as I drove by that the trees in the Fulton/Prince Street area are in trouble.

 

Hardwoods like maple and sycamore require two to four years to establish themselves in our climate. Until then they need summer watering.  [Editor's Note: And even older trees thrive better when they receive occasional watering during the dry summer months.] I am sure that many people don't know, and assume the trees are now independent.

 

Notorious "tree-lover,"

Bruce

Editor's Note: Some trees have folks who agreed to water them when planted; others have relied on nearby volunteers; absentee or less-concerned property owners mean that not all trees have responsible adoptive parents. If you have a relatively new tree near or in front of your dwelling, please help out by watering it regularly. And if you see a tree that's obviously thirsty, please make a point of speaking to the nearby home or apartment dweller -- and offer to help with the watering if that's needed. If you're unable to make contact, please take it upon yourself to bring a few gallons by on a regular basis. Although we're in a drought year, and slow drip watering is the most effective, any water is better than none. We stand to lose some of our newest trees if we as a neighborhood don't take collective responsibility for their well-being.

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3. Link to Article on Increasing Police in Response to Violent Crime Rates

"More Cops Sought In Berkeley-Violent Crime Rate Is Up; Plans to Add Officers Will Not Provide Any Quick Fix"

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/news/print.asp?id=21465

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4. Link to Article on Fire Station Flags at Half-Staff & Berkeley Fire Fighters Association Announcement

"Berkeley Fire Station Flags to Be Flown at Half-Staff"

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/news/print.asp?id=21467

The Berkeley Fire Fighters Association sent out the following message about this:

As members of the fire service, we all know to well what the ultimate sacrifice means. But it is always difficult when we are actually faced with loosing a member of our family, this morning, we lost nine. These brothers gave their lives as firefighters were caught in a roof collapse during a sofa warehouse fire in Charleston, South Carolina. The Berkeley Fire Fighters Association will be sending a donation and representatives from our organization to support the family and friends of the following members who gave their lives:

Captain William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48;

       

Captain Theodore M. "Mike" Benke, 49;  

               

Captain Louis Mulkey, 34;      

               

Engineer Mark Kelsey, 40;      

       

Engineer Rodney Bradford "Brad" Baity, 37;     

               

Assistant Engineer Michael French, 27; 

       

Fire fighter James "Earl" Drayton, 56; 

               

Fire fighter Brandon Thompson, 27; and 

               

Fire fighter Melven Champaign, 46.

       

These brothers have paid the ultimate price for dedicating their lives to protecting the community. Please keep the family and friends who have been left behind in your thoughts and prayers. Donations to the families can be delivered by the Berkeley Fire Fighters Association; please reply to <info@bffa1227.org> if you wish to make a donation. Read more on this tragic incident by visiting this website (www.IAFF.org)

- Berkeley Fire Fighters Association President, David Sprague-Livingston

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5. Pools for Berkeley Meeting, Mondy, June 25, 7 p.m., North Berkeley Senior Center

The following announcement was forwarded by a neighbor:

Come to the Pools for Berkeley meeting Monday, June 25, 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst at MLK.

We will be be holding a public workshop on improving Berkeley's pools.  Come with your ideas.

See what kind of programming and facilities other communities have at
http://www.poolsforberkeley.org/aquaticcenters.aspx

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6. Affordable and Healthy  Take-Out Dinners Available to Berkeley's Families Every Wednesday at San Pablo Park

The following announcement was received from the Division of Public Health:

Healthy Take-Out Dinners

The Chronic Disease Prevention Program in the Division of Public Health is piloting a new project to make healthy dinners affordable and convenient!  We are selling healthy take-out dinners every Wednesday from 5-6:30 p.m. at Frances Albrier Recreation Center in San Pablo Park (2800 Park St. at Oregon).

For only $16 (the same price as fast food!) families can get a full meal for 4 people plus a fun toy for each child! Meals will be sold in front of the Frances Albrier Community Center in San Pablo Park. The food will be supplied by a different restaurant each week - participating restaurants are: Pasta Pomodoro, Spuds Pizza, El Pollo Loco & Picante. Anyone is welcome to come by and pick up a dinner! No preordering required but please come early before they are all sold out.

For more information,  contact Amy Ranger via email at <aranger@ci.berkeley.ca.us> or telephone at 981-7710.

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7. Useful Links to Crime Statistics

A neighbor from the East Lorin district passes on the following useful links:

I wanted to give you a reference which you may or may not already be aware of.  The Berkeley Police and Oakland Police both have websites with crime incident statistics sites which are very helpful. They give a list of incidents with details (location, date, time, type of crime). I looked that up and saw that in the last several months there have been several other robberies in our area [besides those that have been listed recently in the HNA E-News]:  the nearest to the recent incident being the robbery at Dana and Woolsey, which was on May 12, 2007.  Another robbery at Wheeler and Woolsey occurred on Feb. 10 2007.  One at College and Woolsey on Jan. 19, 2007.  Several robberies in my area west of Shattuck occurred, at least one a month, on Prince and Essex streets. The websites are:

 

Berkeley:  www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police

Oakland:  http://gismaps.oaklandnet.com/crimewatch/

 

Check those out if you want to know more.  Woolsey, College, Telegraph and Shattuck appear to be particularly popular corridors for crime.

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8. Another Take on May and June Armed Robberies in the Bateman Neighborhood

Editor's Note: These are not new incidents, but this report from the Fairview Park Neighborhood Newsletter (forwarded by a neighbor) fleshes out some of the details and contains worthwhile comments:

Unfortunately on Saturday night, May 12th, at approximately 9:45 p.m., I was the victim of an armed robbery on the corner of Dana & Woolsey -

just around the corner from 66th St. And, in talking to the police and other acquaintances around, I get the impression that this is happening with increasing frequency in North Oakland/South Berkeley. The pattern seems to be: Often on Saturday night, in the evening, targeting couples who are walking around on foot, attacking from behind and in groups of two attackers. It's shaken us up a bit, but fortunately we weren't injured. It is the first incident that I've heard of in our immediate area as well. I've been walking around here late at night for the last 3 years and never really felt threatened or worried about robbery & violence. We made a full police report. Actually, as soon as it happened, there was so much noise that many, many neighbors on the corner of Woolsey and Dana came out of their houses to see what was going on. The Berkeley police were called immediately, and they were there within 5 minutes of when it happened. The support from the neighbors was incredible, and very much appreciated.

Despite what's happened, I think the people in the neighborhood are really great. . . .

ANOTHER ONE AT WOOLSEY & BATEMAN

Here's a somewhat identifiable description of an armed robber just across the Berkeley border [as reported in a previous edition of the HNA E-News]. On the 11th at 2:00 p.m. a woman with her baby in a stroller, on Woolsey at Bateman, was robbed at the point of a semiautomatic, but not assaulted. A couple of people chased the gunman but he got away into a waiting car. Estimated about 19 y.o., African American, wearing a gray jacket, with an odd speech pattern described as "somewhat robotic" possibly accented.

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9. Elmwood District Clean up,  Sunday, June 24,  10 a.m.-2 p.m.

              

The following announcement was received from a nearby neighborhood:

Come work on gardening, graffiti cover up, general clean-up in support of our local shopping district.

Elmwood Summer Clean-up Sunday, June 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Wear your gardening or painting clothes and bring your gloves! We will weed, plant flowers, paint graffiti, drink coffee, snack on pastries, and enjoy the neighborhood. Come for one hour or for all four. Meet at the Elmwood Theatre located at 2966 College Ave, near Ashby Avenue.

Sponsored by the Elmwood Steering Committee comprised of merchants and neighbors working to support each other. For more information, please contact Kelly Kirkpatrick at 510-981-7181 or <kkirkpatrick@ci.berkeley.ca.us>.

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10. Link to Article on Wright's Garage (Proposed Development at Ashby/College)

"Wright's Garage Project Opponents Call Again for Public Hearing"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=06-22-07&storyID=27346

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11.  Free Seismic Retrofit Presentation featuring Howard Cook, Sat., June 23, 10. a.m. - noon, Open House Senior Center, 6500 Stockton Street, El Cerrito

Please come and hear a free presentation by Thor Mattison, nationally acclaimed wood frame structural engineer and author of the only book on shear walls published by the International Code Council,  see www.shearwalls.com.  The information presented at the seminar will help you as an individual and the entire community improve its earthquake preparedness.   Current research shows that 69% percent of all existing retrofits will not work.  Come find out why.

 

In addition, seismic retrofitting expert Howard Cook will be presenting, along with Jeanne Perkins of the Association of Bay Area Governments, who will be talking about regional earthquake preparedness.

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12. Suspect in Robberies Apprehended

A nearby neighbor reports:

Hi folks,

A recent article in the Berkeley Daily Planet talks about the capture of a possible suspect in some of our nearby robberies:

"Robbery Chase Ends in Tub"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=06-22-07&storyID=27351

 

I just spoke with the Robbery division of BPD; they were somewhat noncommittal and at first just wanted me to talk to OPD as they ultimately took the suspect onto custody,but they did disclose that this guy is being charged with several robberies in Berkeley as well.  He is being charged with a recent armed robbery near College (I believe the Bateman and Woolsey one); the officer did not want to get more specific. The suspect is also being charged with several robberies in Oakland. I am not certain whether he is being charged with the Tremont Street case.

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For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007

Dates set as of June 2007 (verify a few weeks before event by checking HNA E-Newsletter):

Sunday, June 24, 6-8 p.m., Halcyon Community Potluck, 2116 Emerson (between Wheeler & Shattuck)

Saturday, August 4, 9 a.m.-noon (note time change), Work Party in Halcyon Commons park (Halcyon Court at Prince St.)

Tuesday, August 7, 6-8:30 p.m., National Night Out Against Crime, Potluck in Park 6-7:30 p.m., walk through larger neighborhood 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 30, 6-8 p.m., Halcyon Community Potluck with Live Music, 15th Anniversary of Halcyon Neighborhood Association and 100th Anniversary of Berkeley Parks, Halcyon Commons park (Halcyon Court at Prince St.)

Saturday, October 27, Fall Mulching in Park with help from Cal volunteers of Berkeley Project

Sunday, October 28, 4-6 p.m., Big Neighborhood Watch Community Meeting, Chochmat HaLev (location to be confirmed)

Sunday, January 13, 2008, 5-8:30, Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, four locations TBD

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* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

HNA's Disaster Prep Supply Cache contains items intended to benefit the entire neighborhood in the event of disaster. You can help us have what we need on hand in two ways: (1) Make a tax-deductible financial contribution to Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP, our nonprofit fiscal sponsor), earmarked Halcyon Disaster Prep, which will go toward purchasing additional supplies, and mail or drop off to HNA Treasurer Susan Hunter, 3044 Halcyon Court, Berkeley, CA 94705. (2) Contribute any of the following items in-kind (supplies MUST be new or in GOOD condition):

Batteries (AA, C, D), regular & rechargeable; Battery Recharger for AA, C, D; Quality Walkie-Talkies with 8-mile range, 22 channels (i.e., Motorola Talkabout T5500 two-way radios); Axes; Crow Bars, Hard Hats; Other Tools for Search & Rescue; Head Lamps; Heavy-duty Flashlights; Bullhorn; Laptop Computer with rechargeable power supply & USB port; Flashcard (for storing neighborhood database to transfer to laptop); Sheets (freshly laundered or new; good for first aid); Blankets; First Aid Supplies; Gas Siphon (for extracting gas from cars to run generator); 5-Gallon Drums for long-term gas storage; Work Gloves; Large Camping Tents (with all parts!); Coleman or similar Gas or Propane Stove; Shelving for Shed.

Contact HNA Co-Chair and Cache Coordinator Nancy Carleton at <ngc2@mindspring.com> or 644-0172 to contribute supplies.

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* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

Police

Police Emergency Number:  911 (from landline); 981-5911(from cell; preprogram with this number)

Police Nonemergency Number: 981-5900

Link to beat maps and a list of beat officers:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/department/beatinfo/beatlineup.html

In Halcyon neighborhood, west of Fulton is Beat 10, east of Fulton is Beat 9.

Link to crime stats:

Berkeley:  www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police

Other City Departments:

Neighborhood Services Liaison Jim Hynes <jhynes@ci.berkeley.ca.us> 981-2493

Public Works Customer Service: 644-6620 (streets, sidewalks, graffiti, sewers, litter, storm drains, street lights)

Tree Trimming/Planting (Forestry/)/Parks: 981-6660

Written Communication with City Council:

To comment to City Council, cut and paste the following email addresses:

City Clerk <clerk@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Mayor Tom Bates <Mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Linda Maio <LMaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Darryl Moore <DMoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Max Anderson <MAnderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Dona Spring <DSpring@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Laurie Capitelli <LCapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Betty Olds <BOlds@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Kriss Worthington <KWorthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Gordon Wozniak <GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

Representatives for Our Neighborhood:

Councilmember Max Anderson (District 3) 981-7130

West side of Wheeler Street to west (except for Woolsey between Wheeler and Shattuck)

Councilmember Kriss Worthington (District 7) 981-7170

East side of Wheeler to east (includes block of Woolsey from Wheeler to Shattuck)

Mayor Tom Bates 981-7100

Zoning Adjustments Board:

To comment to the Zoning Adjustments Board regarding projects on their calendar, email:

Zoning Adjustments Board <zab@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

(best to submit your comments 10 days prior to meeting for inclusion in the advance packet to board members, but late submissions will be distributed the evening of the meeting)

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The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime-watch notices as well as items of general interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley (HNA's borders), including announcements about community-building potlucks, greening projects, disaster preparedness meetings, and work parties in Halcyon Commons Park. If you're receiving this email, you probably either signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor 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>. Feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

To submit items for the newsletter:   Email unformatted content or links (no graphics or attachments) to HNA E-Newsletter Editor Nancy Carleton <ngc2@mindspring.com>. Crime-watch reports and news about neighbors (births, new jobs, announcements re home businesses) is especially welcome. Please note that due to the volunteer nature of the endeavor, the E-Newsletter does not typically include "letters to the editor" or "commentary," but will gladly include links to such items written by neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area and published elsewhere (the Berkeley Daily Planet has a large section devoted to opinion).

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. [The HNA Listserve is currently inactive but can be revived if enough neighbors show interest.]

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

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