HNA E-News: Safety Walk Tues.; Work Party Sat. 3/15; Potluck Sun. 3/16; 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. Night-time Safety "Dog" Walk, Tuesday, March 11, 8 p.m. (Halcyon Commons to Nomad and back)

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

3. Work Party in Halcyon Commons,  Saturday, March 15, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

4. Halcyon Community Potluck, Sunday, March 16, 6-8 p.m., 3009 Wheeler

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

6. Community Forum on BRT, Monday, March 17, St. John's Church, 7-9:30 p.m.

7. Crime Watch Report: Recurrent Graffiti on Essex

* 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:

Another word about those wonderful disaster prep water barrels (see item 2): We're getting an even greater discount than I realized since the transportation costs have skyrocketed, especially for individual orders (see web link). But our special discounted rate (off of last year's prices!) is only good through the March 20 cutoff date for receiving orders, and to get that rate we need to order at least 70 barrels. At this point, we're far from reaching the 70-barrel minimum order, which could mean I'll end up having to return people's checks. So please, please, pass the word on about this great deal and this easy way to store water for disaster prep! If, like me, you already took care of your household's water needs with last year's order, please go one more step and nudge your neighbors to participate (I'll gladly email you an order form to print out and duplicate). The opportunity to get such a great price is unlikely to come again -- next year it will definitely be more. So make sure you order now, and encourage your loved ones and neighbors to do the same.

I also want to call neighbors' attention to the work party in Halcyon Commons and the surrounding neighborhood next Saturday, March 15 (see item 3), and the potluck the next evening, Sunday, March 16 (see item 4). I hope many of you will take the opportunity to participate in these community-building events. Your showing up really makes a difference!

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

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1. Night-time Safety "Dog" Walk, Tuesday, March 11, 8 p.m. (Halcyon Commons to Nomad and back)

It's been a while since we've had an advance -notice night-tiime safety "dog" walk ("dog" in quote marks since you don't need to have a dog to participate). Hopefully some of you will join us for a fun walk next Tuesday night:

Tuesday, March 11, 8-9 p.m.

8 p.m. sharp: leave Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince, picnic table); dogs optional
(proceed down Prince past Chochmat HaLev to Shattuck)
8:15 p.m. spend 15 minutes at Nomad Cafe

(let's support this community business that has been on the forefront of fighting crime along the Shattuck corridor by purchasing a few hot -- or cold -- beverages)

8:30 Leave Nomad (with any East Lorin neighbors who'd like to join us)
(walk in the BART neighborhood, then back on Prince past Chochmat HaLev)

Complete walk around 9 p.m. back at Halcyon Commons.

We'll be inviting the East Lorin neighborhood walk group to meet us at Nomad (or earlier).

If you'd like to join the listserve for planning impromptu safety walks (day or night, with or without dogs), please send your name, address, and phone number (for safety's sake, we need to know who's participating) to <halcyon92@gmail.com> and you'll receive an invitation to join.

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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, at a great price!

FYI, here's a link to the purveyor of the water barrels:

http://www.southsummit.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=674

(As you can see, because of the bulk of the barrels, the shipping costs almost as much as the barrel when ordered individually, so an individual order would be $97.95 for the barrel, as opposed to the $50 we're paying because of the bulk order and the shipment to a central location)

Halcyon Neighborhood Association is coordinating this 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 49% (the discount for the pumps and wrenches is more like 30%). 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 (received, NOT postmarked!). 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!

Note:  The barrel order will only be placed if we have reached the threshold of 70 barrels ordered. Otherwise, I'll sadly have to return your uncashed checks. Please help out by spreading the word, and place your order as soon as possible so we know where we stand!

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3. Work Party in Halcyon Commons & Surrounding Neighborhood,  Saturday, March 15, 9 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Halcyon Commons Work Party with help from Cal Students with the Berkeley Project

Meet at Halcyon Commons Park (Halcyon Court at Prince Street).

Refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market (Telegraph at Ashby)  and Mokka Café (3075 Telegraph).

Looks like we'll have nice weather! (Though we'll work in rain if we need to!)

Neighborhood volunteers are needed to weed, pick up trash, and remove graffiti in Halcyon Commons and the larger neighborhood alongside 20-25 Cal volunteers from the Berkeley Project. Please bring extra weeding tools if you have them (labeled with address!) and  recycle containers to help move weeds (we'll have extras if you don't).

Special thanks to Whole Foods Market for the donation of food and water, to Mokka Café for the donation of coffee, and to the Cal students of the Berkeley Project for volunteering their time to assist us! The more neighbors who show up, the more of the larger neighborhood we'll be able to cover with our cleanup!  We had a great time as neighbors working with student volunteers last October. Let's do it again!

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4. Halcyon Community Potluck, Sunday, March 16, 6-8 p.m., 3009 Wheeler

What:   A chance to gather with neighbors over shared food

When:   Sunday, March 16, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Where:   Tory's house, 3009 Wheeler St. (near Ashby)

Who:   Neighbors who live in the Ashby-Telegraph-Woolsey-Adeline quadrant are welcome, including children.

Agenda:  We'll share food and socialize for the first hour and a half, then spend an informal last half hour announcing upcoming neighborhood events and chatting about neighborhood news

Bring:  Please bring a potluck item to share.

Potluck suggestions: Appetizer: G-K * Main Dish: S-Z * Salad: L-R * Dessert: A-F .

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

If so inspired, it's really helpful if you can also bring a beverage to share.

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5. Halcyon Singing Group: Next Meeting, This 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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6. Community Forum on BRT, Monday, March 17, St. John's Church, 7-9:30 p.m.

[Editor's Note: In accordance with HNA's Guiding Principles (see the end of each E-News for a placeholder containing these), HNA does not take positions on controversial issues, but we do encourage neighbors to get informed and to express their individual viewpoints and so are happy to pass on word of meetings and seminars related to items that would affect our neighborhood.]

Date: Monday, March 17

Time: 7-9:30 p.m.

Place: St. John's Church (on College)

Program: Community Forum on BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)

(Pro and con representatives will be present. A representative from AC Transit has been invited, along with area councilmembers. There will be time for all present to express their views.)

More details about this meeting will be available next week.

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7. Crime Watch Report: Recurrent Graffiti on Essex

An East Lorin neighbor reports:

"There has been  a problem of unrelenting, repeated vandalism on the garage door of the house at 2001 Essex St. About two months ago I noticed some graffiti had been spray painted on that garage door. Nothing was done about it for over a month, so of course the vandals were emboldened, and came and spray painted more and more graffiti in different colors until the entire garage door was covered. I reported this to the city of Berkeley, which spoke to the owner and she finally had someone paint over it. Last week I noticed there was some serious, large graffiti on there again, with the notation "EBR" (I wonder if that's a gang notation).  Anyhow, I managed to speak to a tenant at that house, who gave me the name of the owner, who lives out of state. I called the owner and offered to help by either notifying the owner ASAP or painting over the graffiti ASAP so that the vandals don't continue to be emboldened. The owner was grateful for the help. I noticed this week that once again the garage door had been graffitied, although the work was smaller this time.

If your property is graffitied, please paint over it ASAP because the longer you leave it up, the more it encourages more of the same."

[Editor's Note: You can report graffiti on public or private property to the City of Berkeley Public Works Customer Service number: 644-6620; they will deal directly with public property, and, as the story above indicates, they will speak with owners of private property, who are responsible for removing graffiti in a timely fashion.]

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8. More on aerial spraying for moths

Two neighbors sent in more links about the planned aerial spraying for moths:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/06/MN69VD309.DTL&hw=spraying+moth&sn=001&sc=1000

From the article:

Comments: Until March 20, send written comments to: Jim Rains, staff environmental scientist, California Department of Food and Agriculture Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services, 1220 N St., Room A-316, Sacramento, CA 95814.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10711.cfm

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/08/BAF1VG26A.DTL

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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.-2:00 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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