HNA E-News: New Book Club meeting Sunday, July 19; Yard Sale anyone?; and other neighborhood news

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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. New Halcyon Book Club Forming: First Meeting, Sunday, July 19, 4-5:30 p.m.

2. Anyone Up for Summer Multi-Household Yard Sale: Saturday, August 1st?

3. Work Party in the Park and Surrounding Neighborhood, Sunday, July 26, 9-11 a.m.

4. Free Monthly Tai Chi Chih Practice at Halcyon Commons Sunday, July 26, at 11 a.m.

5. Volunteers Needed to Help with September 13th Celebration in the Park

6. Crime Watch Report: Attempted Car Theft at Prince and Wheeler

7. Note from Whole Foods Market on Change in Delivery Schedule

8. Wheeler Street Drop-off for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Group

9. Neighbors Seeking Child-Sitting Co-op for Kids

* For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2009

* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

Editor's Introductory Note:

Last month's summer potluck at Leah's was well attended and fun -- thanks, Leah! Among other things, it gave birth to an idea for a new neighborhood book club (see item 1). As many of you know, I really love to publish good news to balance out some of the heavier crime-watch notices and disaster preparedness information. The wonderful thing is that whatever community building we do only strengthens the bonds that help us rise to meet the challenges of urban living in earthquake-prone California, so it all works together. This E-News also lists the possibility of a summer version of our Multi-Block Yard Sale  (item 2). And this month HNA has a work party in the park scheduled (item 3) as well as a  monthly tai chi practice (item 4), also great community builders. And at the beginning of August, we'll be participating as usual in the National Night Out Against Crime event (Tuesday, Aug. 4, 6-8:30 p.m.), so mark your calendars!

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

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1. New Halcyon Book Club Forming: First Meeting, Sunday, July 19, 4-5:30 p.m.

Neighbor Laura West submitted the following announcement:

LET'S START A BOOK CLUB!

Michele (of Michele and John) and I got very excited about this idea at the last potluck. She and I will take monthly turns hosting a new Halcyon Book Club on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 p.m. We are unabashedly planning the reading list to be books that are appealing to us -- fun and interesting (as opposed to the relentlessly heavy); suggestions welcome!

Our first book will be Ruth Riechl's Comfort Me with Apples

Ruth is a food celebrity, and this book is part of her autobiographical series.  It takes place in the 1970s, when Ruth was living in a commune in Berkeley. She ends up as a part of the food revolution (with Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck, among others).  Since it's autobiographical, you also get a dose of her family life and love affairs.

WHEN: Sunday, July 19,  4:00-5:30 (book club)

                            5:30-6:00 help decide on future books, (bring some suggestions if you like)

WHAT: Read all (or as much as you like), and bring your copy if you want to share a favorite passage.

FOOD: Coffee, tea and light refreshments will be served; contributions of more drinks or finger foods are welcome,but optional

WHERE: Laura's house, 2218  Russell St. (corner house, where Deakin ends, a block north of Ashby)

RSVP: Please, please, so we know how many chairs and food/drink to set up (see phone and email below)

HELP NEEDED: Setting or cleanig up

See ya!

Laura West <lauragortonwest@yahoo.com>

847-9320

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2. Anyone Up for Summer Multi-Household Yard Sale: Saturday, August 1st?

 

HNA Treasurer and Halcyon neighbor Susan Hunter submitted the following item:

Anyone else up for a summer Yard Sale on Saturday, August 1st?

Not everyone was able to participate in our Spring HNA Multi-Block Yard Sale, which was on a Sunday, and others of us who did sell still have more great items we'd like to clear out. So I'm planning to do another Yard Sale myself and wanted to see if we have enough folks to put on another HNA-sponsored sale (we need 10-12 households for HNA to sponsor). Even if we don't have enough households for an HNA -sponsored sales, I'd be interested in hearing from folks who'd also like to sell that Saturday, and maybe we can work together. Tasks that will need volunteers include making (and then posting) large signs for the major streets like Telegraph, Ashby, and Shattuck; posting flyers in our neighborhood and neighborhoods nearby; and placing ads (for an HNA sale, the shared cost is typically $5 per household).

If you'd be interested in participating in a Yard Sale on August 1st, please email Susan Hunter <huntersec@gmail.com>. Please respond at your earliest convenience, and no later than this coming Saturday, July 11th (if it's going to be an HNA sale, we could then be included on an HNA flyer going out in mid-July).  THANKS!

Susan

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3. Work Party in the Park and Surrounding Neighborhood, Sunday, July 26, 9-11 a.m.

Meet at Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Delicious refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

Fresh coffee courtesy of Mokka (cafe at Telegraph & Dowling)

 

Presuming we have enough volunteers, this work party will include:

* Weeding  in Halcyon Commons and some of the nearby landscaped islands.

* Picking up litter from streets in the larger neighborhood.

* Removing graffiti from as wide an area of our neighborhood as we can reach with available volunteers.

Many hands make light work: Please lend yours! Even half an hour helps. We have wonderful refreshments to fuel us, so come on out! Children welcome. Bring your own tools if you have them, or use ours if you don't. THANK YOU for helping give our park and our neighborhood some TLC! And if you've noticed graffiti in the public right-of-way in the larger neighborhood, let us know and we'll do our best to clean it up.

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4. Free Monthly Tai Chi Chih Practice at Halcyon Commons Sunday, July 26, at 11 a.m.

A neighbor submitted the following announcement:

"At the World Tai Chi/Qi Gong Day event in April, we made plans to gather monthly as a group for a Halcyon Commons Practice of Tai Chi Chih on the fourth Sunday each month at 11 a.m., including Sunday, July 26. At that point, we'll see what develops, with the possibility of more regular practice if the interest is there. This practice is free of charge and open to all who have some familiarity with the 20 Tai Chi Chih forms (19 movements and 1 stance). The intention we hold as we practice is sending chi and goodwill to the park, the neighborhood, our city, our country, and the world. Even if you don't yet know the forms or are in the process of learning them, you may enjoy stopping by and watching or joining in for the easier movements. Others are also welcome to come out to the park and engage in yoga, Qi Gong, Tai Chi Chuan, or whatever your favorite modality might be -- or simply sit in the park and enjoy the passing sights and sounds of summer. Facilitated by Prince Street neighbor Judith Schwartz, 510-843-2062; www.JudithSchwartz.com " [Editor's Note: Judith also offers ongoing classes to teach the Tai Chi forms in her Prince Street gardens; you can contact her for more information.]

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5. Volunteers Needed to Help with September 13th Celebration in the Park

For the past several years, HNA has sponsored celebrations in Halcyon Commons park featuring live music and a community potluck. To put on the event this year, scheduled for Sunday, September 13th, in the late afternoon, event coordinator John Steere would need a couple of volunteers to step forward  to help with coordinating reminder calls to neighbors, inviting public officials, arranging for tables and chairs, and other related tasks. The HNA Steering Committee is trying to determine whether we have enough help to make the event happen this September or whether we'll need to make this an every-other-year event. Please email <halcyon92@gmail.com> at your earliest convenience if you could volunteer to help put on this fun event.

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6. Crime Watch Report: Attempted Car Theft at Prince and Wheeler

A neighbor submitted the following report:

"My husband's car was broken into, but there weren't broken windows and the alarm never went off so I'm not sure how they got in, but I am almost positive that he had locked it. The panel under the steering column had been taken off and it looked as if they were attempting to figure out how to hotwire it.  The few items inside were strewn about. but nothing was taken and we were able to put the steering column back together.  It was Saturday night 6/21/09 parked on Prince at Wheeler.  I thought maybe neighbors would like to know that there might have been an attempted car theft."

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7. Note from Whole Foods Market on Change in Delivery Schedule

Editor's Note: The following announcement was received from Whole Foods Market on June 22nd, but this has been the first opportunity to post it in the E-News.

Hi, neighbors:

We just received word today from one of our primary distributors informing us of a delivery change and I wanted to share with you ASAP.

 

UNFI is one of our core distributors. They currently deliver every night at 10-11 p.m. As of June 29th they will start delivering at 2 a.m.

 

Our goal is to research all options in minimizing the noise impact this could have on the community. We have a few ideas we are examining currently.

 

In the meantime I want to encourage everyone to stay in communication with us if there are any additional late-night sound issues resulting from this change in delivery schedule.

 

Our goal as always is to be a good neighbor. Feel free to call or email me with any questions/concerns.

 

Nick Heustis

Marketing and Community Relations Team Leader

Whole Foods Market / 3000 Telegraph Ave. Berkeley CA 94705

(510 )649-1333 ext 261

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8. Wheeler Street Drop-off for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Group

Wheeler Street neighbor Tory Finn submitted the following item:

Hi all, this is Tory on Wheeler Street near Ashby. For the past year, I have been subscribing to a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that delivers to my office weekly. I've subscribed to other CSAs in the past. but this one blows them all away. Here's what I love best: I order just what I want each week through their website; I can order extra if I'm planning a party or at Thanksgiving; I get to choose the size of my bag; I get to order by season. Unlike past CSAs, I rarely waste any of my produce and now 90% of all my produce gets delivered to my doorstep and is from local, organic sources. Recently, my CSA made an announcement that they were looking for drop-off sites in Berkeley, I love this service so much I wanted to help it expand and serve more lucky people. Halcyon is such a convenient neighborhood, and I thought my house would make a great drop-off spot - especially for my neighbors! They are taking sign-ups now, see below for details. Please note that this is a personal recommendation from me, Halcyon Neighborhood Association does not endorse any vendors or businesses.

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Eating with the Seasons is a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program that brings you the highest quality in organic produce, meats, and other commodities. We will be delivering to the East Bay starting in August! We offer the ability for you to choose weekly from a list of 25-30 different vegetables and fruits that we have available. In addition to this we offer various cuts of grassfed beef, organic eggs, organic coffees, and teas, etc. Depending upon the size of your household we have 4 different bag sizes you can sign up for: Xsmall (6 items), Small (8 items), Medium (12 items) and Large (16 items). Membership lengths vary from a 4-week trial, to monthly, seasonal or annual. Feel free to use the following link to sign up: http://www.eatwiththeseasons.com/EastBayWaitListForm2009.html

 

Once we receive your sign-up form we will follow up with you regarding the details of your membership. If there is anything I can do for you or if you have questions in general, feel free to contact me directly: Bryan at (415) 601-2863 or bryan@eatwiththeseasons.com.

 

Thanks once again and I look forward to serving you!

Bryan

Eating with the Seasons

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9. Neighbors Seeking Child-Sitting Co-op for Kids

Some new neighbors submitted the following item:

"Our family just moved to Berkeley and we are seeking to join or form a child-sitting coop for kids around eight years of age. We have an eight-year-old boy and would like the opportunity to have adult time as parents once per weekend either during the day or night. I will not be working through the Summer and into Fall and would be available to help if there is child in the neighborhood close to my son's age. This would serve a number of our family's needs:  meeting and helping out another family and providing our son with the opportunity to spend some time with kid(s) his age while we adjust to our new neighborhood. If you are interested please email erjolo@gmail.com"

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* For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2009

Dates set as of  July 2009 (verify a couple weeks before event by checking HNA E-News):

Sunday, July 26, 2009, 9-11 a.m., Work Party in Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince) and Surrounding Neighborhood

Tuesday, August 4, 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, August 15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. SNCPC Garage Sale at Bushrod Park, Shattuck side between 60th and 59th Streets (Neighborhood Rummage Sale to raise money for  Crime Prevention Council, with HNA's participation)

Sunday, September 13, 4-6 p.m., Neighborhood Celebration with Live Music and Potluck in Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Saturday, October 10,  9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Big Work Party in Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince) and surrounding neighborhood in coordination with Cal student volunteers from the Berkeley Project

Thursday, October 29, 7 p.m., SNCPC Annual Meeting (elect sector representatives to Crime Prevention Council), North Oakland Sr. Center, 58th St. and MLK Jr. Way (with HNA's participation)

Sunday, December 6, 4-5:30 p.m., HNA Steering Committee meeting to set dates for 2010, John Steere's house, 2329 Webster

Sunday, January 24, 2010, 5:00-8:45 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:  http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police

Link to police bulletins:

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

Other City Departments:

City Manager's Office: 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 Jesse Arreguin <JArreguin@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

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

Councilmember Susan Wengraf <SWengraf@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 at <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 please!) to HNA E-Newsletter Editor Nancy Carleton at <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Crime-watch reports and news about neighbors (births, new jobs, announcements about home businesses or creative projects) is especially welcome. Please note that due to the volunteer nature of the endeavor, the E-News 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). Also, please note that the E-News is published as items accumulate and as the editor's time permits rather than on a regular schedule; submit your item early if it relates to a future event, and there's a greater chance it will be included.

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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