HNA E-News: Crime Watch meeting this Sunday, March 2; Water Barrel Order; Insecticide Spraying; Singing Group; 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 personal viewpoint.

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1. Community Safety Meeting, This Sunday, March 2, 10:30 a.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

2. The 2008 Neighborhood Disaster Prep Water Barrel Order: Place Your Order Now!

3. Concerns Raised about Aerial Insecticide Spraying Planned for Our Neighborhood

4. Halcyon Singing Group: Next Meeting, Sunday, March 9, 5-6:30 p.m., 2127 Essex

5 Yes, It's Supposed to Rust! (A Word on the New Metalwork Archway at Halcyon Commons)

6. Land Use Updates from Robert Lauriston: 3045 Shattuck and 2037 Emerson

7. Link to Article by Halcyon Neighbor in Daily Planet

* For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2008

* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

Editor's Introductory Note:

Neighborhood Watch notes: Our neighbors at Chochmat HaLev are hosting a community safety meeting this coming Sunday morning and have issued a special invitation for neighbors to join them (see item 1). And if you plan to place an order for a 55-gallon water barrel for disaster prep (see item 2), the earlier you can send it in, the better, since we need time to do more publicity if we aren't nearing the 70-barrel minimum order threshold!

The next E-News will be coming out  toward the end of next week to provide details on our work party in the park planned for Saturday, March 15, and our next community potluck the following evening, Sunday, March 16 (see For Your Calendar section at the end of the E-News). I haven't received any crime watch reports recently from our immediate neighborhood (which is wonderful!), but if you know of  anything that hasn't yet been covered, please email the report in by next Thursday to <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Good news is always welcome too!

Hope you're all enjoying this wonderful taste of early spring!

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

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1. Community Safety Meeting, This Sunday, March 2, 10:30 a.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

Special Community Safety Meeting

Chochmat HaLev, Prince at Fulton
Sunday, March 2, 10:30 am

This is an open community meeting to discuss the safety in the vicinity of Chochmat HaLev. Officer Steven Burcham from the Berkeley Police Department will be present to give us his recommendations for ensuring our safety.

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2. The 2008 Neighborhood Disaster Prep Water Barrel Order: Place Your Order Now!

If you missed out on ordering a 55-gallon water barrel last year, or if you've realized you'd like to store even more water, here's your chance!

Halcyon Neighborhood Association is coordinating a joint neighborhood order of water barrels to enable households to easily store 55 gallons of water for disaster preparedness. In the event of a major quake on the Hayward Fault, it will take time for government help to reach us. Even if the main water supply through the Caldecott Tunnel area escapes damage, EBMUD predicts at least 5,000 breaks in its system! And when government trucks finally arrive with water, there will be long lines and frustrating waits to get limited supplies. Water is essential for survival! The recommendation is to store a MINIMUM of 1 gallon per person per day (2 gallons per person per day preferable, to allow for cleaning and other needs), to last for at least 5 to 14 days

By ordering at least 70 water barrels at a time, we can obtain a substantial discount of approximately 35%. Willard Neighborhood Association and LeConte Neighborhood Association are joining with HNA so we can place this minimum order and get more water stored in our South Berkeley neighborhoods! The water barrels cost $50; the manual pumps $10; and optional bung wrenches $10. (This is an all-volunteer effort; prices reflect actual costs.) Orders are due Thursday, March 20. To obtain a pdf of an order form for yourself or to copy and distribute to your neighbors, email HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton at halcyon92@gmail.com. Within the Halcyon neighborhood (bordered by Telegraph, Ashby, Adeline, and Woolsey), we have also passed out the order forms door to door over to most blocks (with several blocks still to be covered). If you haven't received yours, please let us know!

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3. Concerns Raised about Aerial Insecticide Spraying Planned for Our Neighborhood

A neighbor passed on the following:

"Many of you have no doubt heard about the aerial insecticide spraying planned for our neighborhood, and neighborhoods through the Bay Area, for sometime this summer (and possible multiple times thereafter). Following similar spraying in Santa Cruz County recently, many residents complained of negative health effects. A number of neighbors are suggesting we need to get involved and express our concerns. And a number of local officials on City Councils and in the State Assembly and Senate are putting forth measures with the hope of having an impact on these plans. Please express your opinions!"

Check out the following links for more information:

California Alliance to Stop the Spraying

http://www.cassonline.org/

Stop the Spray

http://www.stopthespray.org/

Ask the Bugman (Richard Fagerlund), "Moth Spraing Efforts's Risks Outweigh Potential Benefits"

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/23/HO4OUNNC6.DTL&hw=Richard+Fagerlund+moth+spraying&sn=001&sc=1000

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4. Halcyon Singing Group: Next Meeting, Sunday, March 9, 5-6:30 p.m., 2127 Essex

In late January, five of us met to share songs in the living room of neighbor Irene Kessel. We'll be meeting approximately once a month for now (with the option of supplemental singing on the street as part of the night-time safety "dog" walks). If you'd like to join us in this fun way of building community and excercising our vocal chords (open to all!), email <halcyon92@gmail.com> to receive an invitation to the Yahoo listserve that plans our meeting dates. You can either participate occasionally or become part of the core group that generally comes to each meeting. We're each planning on bringing copies of the lyrics to a couple of songs that we'd like the group to sing (so far we've covered a fairly eclectic range of types of music, with an emphasis on folk/pop familiar to the Baby Boomer generation, an but openness to more).

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5. Yes, It's Supposed to Rust! (A Word on the New Metalwork Archway at Halcyon Commons)

A couple of neighbors wondered about the rust already starting to appear on the brand-new metalwork archway recently installed at the north end of Halcyon Commons, which means others may share the question. So, just to reassure everyone, yes, it's meant to rust! At one of the design charrettes held to solicit input on the archway, the artist Amy Blackstone, laid out the options: either apply a special treatment to preserve the silver tones of the metal or allow the archway to rust naturally (which steel will do in the presence of moisture, such as our recent rains). There was a general consensus that allowing the rust to form would be more in keeping with the general feel of the park, and that the resulting reddish tones would make the design more visible from a distance against the green backdrop of trees and grass. It won't happen all at once, but given more rain is on the way, it won't be too long either!

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6. Land Use Updates from Robert Lauriston: 3045 Shattuck and 2037 Emerson

Neighbor Robert Lauriston submitted the following updates on land use issues in our neighborhood [note Halcyon Neighborhood Association doesn't typically take positions on land use issues (see our Guiding Principles at the end of the E-News) but does encourage neighbors to be aware of what's going on and to express their opinions in the relevant arenas]:

3045 Shattuck:

"I got the following email from Anne Burns, the staff person for the Design Review Committee. People interested in this project should subscribe to this list:
http://groups.google.com/group/3045_watch

We have a proposal in for a revised site and landscape plan for 3045 Shattuck and are reviewing it now.  It proposes three residential parking spaces instead of two, a minor rearrangement of the green space in several spots, and a change to pavers in lieu of concrete paving that was approved on the permit set.  While we have made some minor changes administratively during the construction process, we feel this is a change that requires a formal Staff Level Design Review

posting....  Before we get to that point though, we wanted to check with all of you and see if this is something that you have any concerns with.

1)  The amount of green space and the number of trees along the east and south property lines would be equal but slightly shifted because of the new paving configuration.  There is some loss of green space along the east building edge (facing the parking lot), but this is due to maintenance issues with landscape being directly on the new wood siding.  There are also several small  portions of the landscaped edge along Essex that have been modified and this stems from the need to separate the commercial portion of the site from the residential portion in the rear, not the shift from two to three residential parking spaces.

2)  The original design and the approved permit set has grey concrete paving, scored and each  square finished with alternating broom and trowel finish.  While there was some detail in that design, it is subtle.  The current proposal is for pavers, which add a smaller scale to the parking area paving and more color.

I'm still reviewing the proposed site plan with other design review staff here in Planning, as well as the Landscape Architect on the Design Review Committee, to make sure that we still have a site/landscape plan that achieves the same objectives that the plan approved by the ZAB Subcommittee did.

Christina did contact the property on the east side of her parcel and let them know that she would be proposing three residential parking spaces instead of  two.  They are in support of that change and any minor site and landscape changes as a result (Justin Brown is copied on this...)  and would be happy to have one more parking space off of an already congested street for parking.

Please let me know of any concerns that you may have, or if you would like to come by and go over the proposed site/landscape plan with me. Thank you for all your interest and efforts."

2037 Emerson:

I just noticed today that one of the yellow Planning Department signs is up on the fence on the vacant lot next to 2037 Emerson. If I read it correctly, the application is for two new buildings totaling 4,845 square feet with five apartments and five parking spaces. Looks like the front building would be two stories and similar in scale to 2037, and the rear building would be three stories and span two lots. The applicant / architect is Jim Novosel, who has done some very nice projects: http://www.bayarch.com/projects.htm

The use permit application number is 07-10000131, and the planner is Aaron Sage. The zoning classification is R-2A. The regulations are here:
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/bmc/Berkeley_Zoning_Code/Sub-Title_23D/28/index.html

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7.  Link to Article by Halcyon Neighbor in Daily Planet

 

[Editor's note: Halcyon neighbor Nancy Carleton  - in her role as a private citizen, not as Co-Chair of HNA or Editor of the E-News - had the following commentary published in the Berkeley Daily Planet recently. The E-News happily provides links to articles by or about members of our neighborhood - just send them in!]

"Commentary: In Memory of Fred Lupke: Fund the Warm Water Pools"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2008-02-22/article/29300      

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For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2008

Dates set as of  February 2008 (verify a couple weeks before event by checking HNA E-Newsletter):

March 15, 2008,  9  a.m.-2:30 p.m., Big Work Party in Halcyon Commons and surrounding neighborhood, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince) with Cal volunteers from the Berkeley Project

Sunday, March 16, 2008, 6-8 p.m., Community Potluck, 3009 Wheeler (near Ashby)

Thursday, March 20, 2008, 8 p.m., Deadline for ordering 55-gallon water barrels, drop off order forms and payment to HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton 3044 Halcyon Ct. (must be received by end of the day on March 20th; postmark not sufficient)

Early April (date TBD), 2008,4-6 p.m., Big Disaster Prep Planning Meeting, location TBD

Sunday, May 18, 3-5:30 p.m. (setup 2-3 p.m.), Outdoors Neighborhood Watch event with BIG Neighborhood Disaster Prep Drill, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Saturday, May 31, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Work Party, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Sunday, June 1 (tentative date), afternoon, Neighborhood Watch Self-Defense Training, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Sunday, June 22, 6-8 p.m., Summer Community Potluck, location TBD (someone's backyard/patio)

Saturday, July 26, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,  Work Party, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Tuesday, August 5, 6-8:30 p.m., National Night Out Against Crime (Potluck 6-7:30; Safety Walk, 7:30-8:30), Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince) and surrounding neighborhood

Saturday, September 20, 9:30 a.m.-12 noon, Work Party, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Sunday, September 28, 4-7 p.m., Party in the Park to Celebrate Completion of Halcyon Commons Rejuvenation Project (with potluck and live music), Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Late October/Early November, date to be announced by Cal's Berkeley Project, Big Work Party in Halcyon Commons and surrounding neighborhood, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Sunday, October 12, 4-5:30, Big Neighborhood Watch meeting, location TBD

Sunday, November 9, 6-8 p.m. Fall Community Potluck, location TBD

November/December, Sunday afternoon, 4-5:30 p.m., Planning meeting, 2009 dates, date TBD, location TBD

Sunday, January 11, 2009, 5:30-8:45 p.m., 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):

Duct Tape (this is a versatile supply that allows us to improvise with common household items in the event of a disaster: lots needed!); Batteries (AA, C, D), regular & rechargeable; Battery Recharger for AA (LOTS of these needed!), 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;  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; Two-Foot Lengths of 2x4s and 4x4s (good for cribbing and creating fulcrums for removing heavy objects during search & rescue operations).

Contact HNA Co-Chair and Cache Coordinator Nancy Carleton at <halcyon92@gmail.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 to reach Berkeley emergency from a cell)

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

Link to police bulletins:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/crimestats/policebulletins.html

Other City Departments:

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

Public Works Customer Service:  981-6620 (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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* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

HNA is a community group dedicated to stewardship of the Halcyon Neighborhood in South Berkeley (bounded by Telegraph, Ashby, Adeline, and Woolsey). We encourage positive, proactive, partnership-oriented approaches to improving the well-being of our neighborhood, with an emphasis on the following goals:

• Community building (such as regular potlucks, special events in the park, mutual support among neighbors, and multiblock yard sales);
• Ongoing care of Halcyon Commons (a park conceived of and created by the neighbors who founded HNA) under the nonprofit umbrella provided by Berkeley Partners for Parks and in partnership with the City of Berkeley;
• Continued greening and care of the neighborhood (planting trees, cleaning litter off streets, graffiti removal, and helping maintain public landscaped features);
• Strengthening neighborhood watch (crime watch, community safety walks, emergency preparedness, and disaster supply cache);
• Networking with the larger Berkeley community (nearby neighborhood groups, neighborhood businesses, City staff, and elected officials);
• Sharing information and empowering residents to become proactive in addressing neighborhood needs and in expressing individual viewpoints regarding civic affairs (spreading news through meetings, flyers, and the HNA E-Newsletter, and providing contact information).

        To fulfill these goals, HNA provides a sanctuary from partisan politics so that neighbors with diverse viewpoints feel welcome to participate. Thus, HNA only takes stands on larger issues when there is near-unanimity among neighbors. By focusing on immediate local concerns, we find we can have a greater impact and get better results from the time we invest.

       Guided by these principles, HNA invites neighbors who are willing to work together in a spirit of partnership to participate at whatever level makes sense for them. Opportunities for serving on our volunteer Steering Committee and project-oriented committees are available to neighbors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work together in a nonpartisan spirit. Neighbors are invited to step forward into leadership positions defined by the work they do in accordance with HNA's primary goals and guiding principles.

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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 <halcyon92@gmail.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 <halcyon92@gmail.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 Halcyon Safety Walk Listserve:  For those who'd like to participate in night-time and daytime safety "dog" walks (dogs not required) to build community and serve as eyes on the street, please reply  to Halcyon Neighborhood Association <halcyon92@gmail.com> indicating your interest, and you will receive an invitation to join. For everyone's safety, be sure to include your full name, address, email, and phone.

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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