Halcyon Neighborhood Association • Berkeley, CA | |
Halcyon Neighborhood Association |
Neighbors, join Halcyon Neighborhood AssociationÕs Facebook group
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Halcyon
Neighborhood Association E-News September 2020
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Items appearing in the HNA E-News 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
EditorÕs introductory comments express her personal viewpoint.
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Contents
1.
Zoom Meeting with Director of Public Works re Neighborhood Trees, Thurs., Sept.
17, 6 p.m.
2.
HNA Letter Regarding Deakin Trees and Related Policy Issues
3.
Greenhouse Gas Equivalents of Removing Camphor Trees
4. HalcyonHelp.com: Halcyon Neighbors Helping Neighbors
during COVID-19 Epidemic!
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EditorÕs Introductory Note
This summer
has been a difficult time for those of us in the neighborhood whoÕve worked diligently
to green our neighborhood and create a sense of place and community over three
decades. Sadly, the halcyon bird sculpture in Halcyon Commons park, created by
neighborhood sculptor Nina Lyons with an innovative nest pedestal created by
neighbor Bruce Wicinas, was destroyed by vandals in mid-August. The sculpture
was dedicated four years ago in honor of the parkÕs twentieth anniversary and
involved numerous community design workshops, a lengthy City process for
approval and permitting, and so much love and hard work on the part of the
artists, as well as countless cumulative hours of participation on the part of
neighbors and local businesses who contributed to the fundraising efforts to
pay for installation. ItÕs a heartbreaking loss after two and a half decades in
which the unique and artistic elements in Halcyon Commons have survived without
major vandalism (occasional graffiti on signs is typically removed during our
work parties). WeÕll consider next steps in the new year. The COVID pandemic
has sadly brought less-than-respectful behavior to many of our public spaces,
including Halcyon Commons. But the halcyon bird sculpture, part of the original
vision and design of the park, will eventually find another way to manifest!
It was bad
enough to witness the vandalized sculpture, but even more disheartening than
the act of disturbed individuals who destroy things in the middle of the night was
the disrespect shown our neighborhood by our own City of BerkeleyÕs Department
of Public Works in the light of day, when they slated seven mature camphor
trees on Deakin Street south of Ashby for removal (along with four more north
of Ashby). As one neighbor put it, coming while the skies were full of smoke
and wildfires were raging throughout the State of California and the role of
trees in combatting climate change is more important than ever, the sight of
butchered healthy mature trees added to the apocalyptic feel. The City
justified its actions as consistent with its Complete Street policy, which
turns out to be a very incomplete policy that prioritizes easy sidewalk repair
over trees. The camphor trees on Deakin are among the few remaining healthy
mature trees in the Halcyon neighborhood. No prior notification was given to
Halcyon Neighborhood Association of this major and devastating change to one of
the key entryways to our neighborhood. Items 1, 2, and 3 relate to this issue.
We have a chance to save the remaining healthy camphors on Deakin (there are
ways to route sidewalks around trees and still end up with ADA accessibility)
and other healthy mature trees in our neighborhood. Maybe this loss can even
lead to some much-needed changes to the CityÕs policies and procedures around
street trees. If you care about this issue, please consider joining us Thursday
(see item 1).
Stay well,
and stay connected!
—Nancy
Carleton, HNA Co-Chair and E-News Editor, halcyon92@gmail.com
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1.
Zoom Meeting with Director of Public Works re Neighborhood Trees, Thurs., Sept.
17, 6 p.m.
EditorÕs note: In response to neighborhood concerns about the
removal of healthy mature camphor trees on Deakin Street in the Halcyon
neighborhood, incoming Director of Public Works Liam Garland has graciously set
up a Zoom meeting at 6 p.m. this Thursday, September 17 (email halcyon92@gmail.com for link), to hear and respond to neighborsÕ
concerns. Representatives from Mayor Jesse ArreguinÕs office, Councilmember Ben
BartlettÕs office, and Councilmember Lori DrosteÕs office will also be present.
Please join us if you want to help save the remaining camphors on Deakin that
were slated for removal as well as other healthy mature trees in the Halcyon
neighborhood. See also item 2 for the letter submitted by HNA in preparation
for the meeting.
Public Works Admin is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom
meeting.
Topic: Deakin Street Neighbor Meeting
Time: Sep 17, 2020 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82856410411?pwd=QkhsN09KVUVSOXlaaTRtcDIzMkVwQT09
Meeting ID: 828 5641 0411
Passcode: 031873
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,82856410411# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,82856410411# US (Houston)
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2.
HNA Letter Regarding Deakin Trees and Related Policy Issues
EditorÕs note:
After hearing from dozens of neighbors upset by the removal of
healthy, mature camphor trees on Deakin Street, HNA Co-Chairs Nancy Carleton
and John Steere submitted the following letter.
September 14, 2020
TO: Director of Public Works Liam
Garland
cc: Mayor Jesse Arreguin,
Councilmember Ben Bartlett, Councilmember Lori Droste, and the Berkeley City
Council
Dear Director Garland:
As you know, we were shocked,
saddened, and outraged by the removal, without notice to our neighborhood
association, of four healthy mature camphor trees along Deakin Street between
Ashby and Prince, one of the key gateways to our neighborhood, as well as the
planned removal of several more healthy trees on Deakin. While we greatly
appreciate that the removal of trees on Deakin was put on hold, as unhealthy
smoky air, orange skies, and nearby wildfires remind us of the perils of
climate change, coming home to the further apocalyptic reality of unnecessarily
butchered trees has been deeply painful both for us personally as leaders in
efforts to green our neighborhood over three decades, and for the many other
neighbors who have expressed their shock, sadness, and anger at the loss of
these beautiful trees. If removing healthy street trees is viewed as an
acceptable trade-off by those implementing the Council-passed Complete Streets
policy, then either the policy itself or its interpretation is deeply flawed
and contradicts both BerkeleyÕs green values and its Climate Action Plan, as
well as the health, beauty, and well-being of not only our neighborhood but
neighborhoods citywide. In recent years, mature trees have been removed on
Prince Street in our neighborhood and elsewhere. We see vacant tree wells
throughout our neighborhood and nearby areas. The current situation represents
a crisis in the CityÕs relationship to its neighborhoods and community members,
as we have witnessed Public Works staff repeatedly violating the community
interest and the policy goals of the CouncilÕs Climate Action Plan in the
matter of our street trees.
In preparation for our Deakin Street
Neighbors Zoom meeting this Thursday, September 17, we want to be very clear
about our priorities as co-chairs of Halcyon Neighborhood Association (HNA).
HNA includes neighbors from Telegraph to Adeline and from Ashby to Woolsey,
comprising approximately 840 households in the Halcyon neighborhood of South
Berkeley. HNA was founded in 1992, bringing neighbors together to create a
small park, Halcyon Commons, where there was once a parking lot on Halcyon
Court (see attached proclamation honoring the 20th anniversary of
the creation of the park). In addition, we have been guided by principles that
focus on bringing neighbors together around areas of broad general agreement,
including disaster preparedness (our neighborhood has been awarded two disaster
supply caches, and the OES can attest to our ongoing CERT efforts over nearly
three decades); community building (through community potlucks, work parties to
maintain Halcyon Commons, and picking up trash and removing graffiti in the
larger neighborhood; the Parks department and our City Councilmembers and Mayor
can attest to our consistent follow-through in caring for the park and
neighborhood in the decades since the park was dedicated); crime watch (with
annual participation in Ice Cream Socials for National Night Out as well as
organizing other crime-watch community meetings, to which the BPD can attest);
and neighborhood-wide greening efforts, to complement the creation of Halcyon
Commons, which have included helping plant over 120 trees in our neighborhood,
as well as helping gain approval for, installing, and helping maintain several
landscaped features in the neighborhood, including tree islands on Deakin at
Prince, Halcyon at Webster, Webster between Telegraph and Halcyon, and Woolsey
at Wheeler.
Here are the key issues we want to be
sure get addressed at ThursdayÕs meeting:
1. Save remaining street
trees on Deakin and throughout the Halcyon neighborhood, and revise sidewalk
work to accommodate their long-term well-being. Healthy mature street trees
should *not* be sacrificed for sidewalks!
ACTION ITEM:
Agreement that no further trees will be removed as part of the Deakin Street
sidewalk repairs or other sidewalk repairs in our neighborhood.
ACTION ITEM:
Change-order to concrete work to ensure existing trees will have the best
possible chance to thrive (see the City of AlbanyÕs sidewalk work around
several dozen mature camphor trees north and south of Marin east of San Pablo
for examples of how this can be accomplished while also achieving ADA
standards).
2. Revise concrete work
around tree wells for the trees that were removed (and any other vacant tree
wells on the block).
ACTION ITEM:
Change-order to concrete work to ensure future trees will have sufficient wells
to have the best chance of thriving (see Professor Peter BosselmannÕs email of
9/4/20 recommending larger wells for new trees, including the need to narrow
sidewalks around those wells).
3. Plan for prompt
replanting of the street trees that have been removed (as well as re-planting
of any vacant tree wells in the affected blocks) during our upcoming rainy
season. These need to be addressed in a comprehensive way on Deakin, not
piecemeal. This is the only way to mitigate the harm done through the violation
of our neighborhoodÕs sense of place; it isnÕt just about individual property
owners but the larger cumulative impact of that grouping of mature canopy trees
on Deakin, and the beauty of mature trees elsewhere in the neighborhood.
ACTION ITEM:
Follow-up meeting with Forestry staff to reach agreement regarding appropriate
canopy trees for replanting on Deakin, aiming for a similar feel to the removed
camphor trees. This needs to be accomplished in a timely fashion (planned in
advance of the upcoming rainy season, so the trees can be planted at the start
of that season).
4. Deakin Street and other
Halcyon neighborhood property owners should incur no additional costs because
of these changes.
ACTION ITEM: Letter
to Deakin property owners concerning change orders and affirming no additional
costs will be passed on to them.
5. Review the way the
current Complete Street Policy is being interpreted at the staff level and make
policy and procedural changes as necessary. The current process is definitely
*not* working for our neighborhood, and the problem appears to be systemic and
citywide, as opposed to merely an oversight in the case of the Deakin Street
trees, based on the loss of prior mature trees on Prince Street in recent years
without good cause, and all without adequate consultation with nearby residents
or our neighborhood association, and without the trees being replaced in a
timely fashion. This policy flaw likely needs to be resolved at the City
Council level. Issues to be addressed include (a) clarification that mature,
healthy trees are of intrinsic value as part of the CityÕs Climate Action Plan
and the livability of our neighborhoods and city, bringing benefits including a
sense of place, shade, relief to heat islands, remediation of greenhouse
effects, noise buffers, beauty, habitat for wildlife, enhanced property values,
positive impact on mental health, etc.; their value needs to be included in any
Complete Streets policy that claims to be truly complete; (b) clearer and
broader standards regarding who gets notified when trees are slated for removal
for anything other than an immediate hazard; tree removal should no longer be
treated piecemeal, as if it affects only the property owner(s) associated with
a nearby address, some of whom are absentee landlords or not attuned to broader
community well-being, but also needs to include notification of other nearby
residents (including tenants) and official neighborhood groups; there should be
a clear process in place when neighbors or neighborhood groups have concerns,
and there should be requirements for the City to facilitate the replacement of
mature trees that are removed rather than placing the onus solely on nearby
neighbors and/or property owners.
ACTION ITEM: Consult
with City Councilmembers and Mayor regarding the best means to address these
policy issues and others related to our urban forest and the integration of the
Climate Action Plan with the Complete Street policy, including but not limited
to the possibility of setting up a Task Force similar to the one that responded
to the issue of allowing trees to remain in traffic circles and that provided
guidance on future planting and maintenance of them, which the City Council
approved in November 2019 (see attachment).
Thank you for keeping these issues
and recommended action items in mind as we all prepare for ThursdayÕs meeting.
Sincerely,
Nancy Carleton & John
Steere
Co-Chairs, Halcyon Neighborhood
Association
Attachments: Proclamation on the 20th
Anniversary of Halcyon Commons
City Council minutes re the Traffic
Circle Policy Task Force
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3.
Greenhouse Gas Equivalents of Removing Camphor Trees
EditorÕs
note: Jeanne Panek, a Halcyon neighbor who lives around the corner
from the healthy mature camphor trees that were removed on Deakin Street, is an
expert in the field of greenhouse gas equivalents. She prepared a pdf
demonstrating the impact of the removal of the four trees in the Halcyon
neighborhood (there were also an additional four that were removed in the block
of Deakin north of Ashby, magnifying the impact), and demonstrating the loss if
additional trees are removed. While IÕm not able to send attachments with this
newsletter, email halcyon92@gmail.com if youÕd
like a copy of her pdf. Meanwhile, here is an excerpt of the introductory
statement she sent to me and to City officials.
As a forest
physiologist for 30 years, including over a decade of research at UC Berkeley
and forest climate policy work at the California Air Resources Board, I know
that urban street trees can play a significant role in mitigating climate
change.
To convince the City
to protect the Deakin St camphor trees for global warming mitigation reasons, I
have quantified the actual climate benefit of the trees. I used a Carbon
Calculator developed at the Center for Urban Forestry Research at UC Davis with
parameters measured on the Deakin St trees.
The Deakin St
camphor trees are massive, old trees that have taken up and stored a huge
amount of CO2 over their lifetimes. The resulting CO2 calculations are
attached.
At a time when
California is facing unprecedented wildfires as a result of global warming, and
in this year 2020 when the Berkeley Climate Action Plan goal was to achieve 33%
emission reductions, the City should be prioritizing climate mitigation
strategies. Instead of felling BerkeleyÕs mature trees, the City should be
doing everything it can to help the biggest street trees thrive and continue
their ecosystem service of removing climate warming gases from the
atmosphere.
To summarize the
results:
á Deakin St had 14 camphor trees of various ages, including
10 mature trees (70 years or older). Four mature trees were felled.
á The Deakin St camphor trees stored the CO2 emissions
equivalent of driving 108,717 miles, or 4.4 times around the earth.
á The City of Berkeley felled 4 of the oldest trees, which
stored 17MT CO2, the equivalent of driving 48,819 miles or 2 times around the
earth.
á Besides the loss of future sequestration, possibly another
50 years, the felled trees will decay and return CO2 to the atmosphere,
creating additional CO2 emissions in the short term.
á Replacement trees are small and store very little carbon
for many years. Each camphor tree that was cut is equivalent to 720 replacement
trees. Thus, restoring the CO2 storage capacity of mature camphor trees is a
long-term, expensive project.
In conclusion, to
protect the climate and support the City of BerkeleyÕs Climate Action Plan, the
City of Berkeley should cancel their plans to cut down Deakin StÕs healthy
camphor trees. While camphor trees are known to grow large and damage
sidewalks, it is exactly their ability to become massive that makes them good
at storing carbon and mitigating rising CO2 levels. The City of Berkeley should
provide support and protection of their large street trees so they can continue
their ecosystem service of mitigating rising atmospheric CO2 levels. Narrowing
sidewalks to accommodate large trees rather than the current approach of
cutting large trees to preserve sidewalks is one such strategy.
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4.
HalcyonHelp.com: Halcyon Neighbors Helping Neighbors during COVID-19 Epidemic!
EditorÕs note: For years our neighborhood has prepared for working together in the
aftermath of a big earthquake. But the COVID-19 epidemic has demanded a
different kind of emergency preparedness. How can we support one another when
weÕre supposed to maintain physical distance? Fortunately, back in March HNA-CERT
quickly mobilized to develop a tool to help. If youÕre a Halcyon neighbor
(Telegraph to Adeline, Ashby to Woolsey in South Berkeley) or live nearby, you
can sign up if you need help (grocery delivery, pharmacy pickup, a cloth mask,
a chat buddy, etc.), or if youÕre willing to volunteer (some of the volunteer
needs can be handled completely from home even if youÕre self-isolating).
HereÕs a brief notice from Halcyon HelpÕs co-organizer, Bill Swartz.
Put together with
the goal of matching neighbors in need with those who could lend a hand,
HalcyonHelp.com has grown to over eighty volunteers. HalcyonHelp volunteers are
open to all kinds of reasonable requests for help, but the most common matches
are:
Pickup: medicine and groceries
Masks: matching neighbors who are making cloth
masks with neighbors who need them
Chat Buddies: matching neighbors for nice phone chats
Please
go to HalcyonHelp.com for more information
Text
or call: 510-200-8082
Email: hnacert@gmail.com
ThereÕs also a flyer you can post or
drop door-to-door to help us reach more neighbors.
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For
Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2017
Dates set as of March 8, 2017
(verify before event by checking current HNA E-News)
Sunday, January 29, 2017 |
5:30-8:45 p.m. |
Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck (four
courses at four households: see E-News for addresses).
|
Mar. 15, 2017 |
7:30-9:00 p.m. |
HNA Steering Committee Meeting to track
progress & plan for second half of 2017, Webster
Street (email halcyon92@gmail.com for address) |
Saturday, March 18 2017 |
9:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m. |
Work Party in Halcyon Commons &
Surrounding Neighborhood with Cal students from
Berkeley Project, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince).
|
Saturday, June 3, 2017 |
9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. |
Work Party in Halcyon Commons &
surrounding neighborhood, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at
Prince). |
Wednesday, (season & date TBD) |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
Neighborhood Watch Plus Community meeting
(Crime Watch focus, Neighborhood Brainstorming re
projects, with brief Disaster Prep segment), Location
TBD (hopefully Chochmat HaLev) |
Sunday, (spring or summer date TBD), 2017 |
4:00-6:00 p.m. |
Halcyon Thrive-in-Place Subcommittee
meeting, location TBD. |
Friday, July 28, 2017 |
4:00-6:30 p.m. |
Mini Work Party in Halcyon Commons
(Halcyon at Prince). |
Tuesday, August 1, 2017 |
6:30- |
National Night Out Against Crime: Ice
Cream Social in the Park! |
Saturday, (season & date TBD) |
9:00-10:30 a.m. |
Halcyon Disaster Prep event, Emphasis TBD
(placeholder: either coordinate date with city or plan
independently for HNA?) |
Saturday, October X, 2017 (date TBD by
Berkeley Project) |
9:30 a.m.- |
Big Mulching Work Party & Graffiti
Removal in surrounding neighborhood with Cal students
from Berkeley Project, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at
Prince). |
Tuesday, October 31, 2017 |
6:00-6:30ish p.m. |
Costume Parade around Park for Kids,
Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince). Need neighbor to
volunteer as lead! |
Sunday, December 3, 2017 |
5:00-6:30 p.m. |
HNA Steering Committee Meeting to set
dates for 2018, Webster Street (email
halcyon92@gmail.com for address.) |
Sunday, January 21 OR 28?, 2018 |
5:30 - |
Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck (four
courses at four households: see E-News for addresses
TBD). |
*HNA’s Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List
HNA’s Halcyon Commons Disaster Prep Supply Cache contains items
intended to benefit the entire neighborhood in the event of
disaster (primarily first aid, search & rescue, and
communications supplies plus items for command center setup in
Halcyon Commons). You can help us have what we need on hand in two
ways: (1) Make a financial contribution for purchasing additional
supplies to HNA (not tax deductible) or to Berkeley Partners for
Parks, earmarked Halcyon (BPFP
is our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, so a check through them is tax
deductible); mail or drop off your check 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
EXCELLENT condition):
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://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/0b15b20282
In the Halcyon neighborhood: west of Fulton is Beat 10; east of Fulton is Beat 9.
Link to crime stats, Berkeley:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/42f61d76dd
Link to police bulletins:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/d1559b4b0f
Other City of Berkeley Departments:
City Manager’s Office: Jim Hynes jhynes@ci.berkeley.ca.us 981-2493
Nonemergency Call Center for Public Services:
Dial 311 (you will be
directed to the appropriate department) to report problems with
street
lights (get the tag number off the pole), blocked storm drains,
tree
branches down, etc.
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 the City Council, use 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
MAnderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us
West side of Wheeler Street to the west (except for Woolsey
between
Wheeler and Shattuck)
Councilmember Kriss Worthington (District 7) 981-7170
KWorthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us
East side of Wheeler to the east (includes block of Woolsey from
Wheeler to Shattuck)
Mayor Tom Bates 981-7100 Mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Zoning Adjustments Board
To comment to the Zoning Adjustments Board regarding projects on
their calendar, email:
Zoning Adjustments Board zab@ci.berkeley.ca.us
(It’s best if at all possible 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.)
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-News, 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.
The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News: The HNA E-News forwards 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, crime watch, disaster preparedness, 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 does not share your email address with third parties. If you wish to be removed from this list, please contact HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton/Halcyon Neighborhood Association at halcyon92@gmail.com. Feel free to pass the HNA E-News on to other neighbors you think might be interested.
To submit items for the newsletter: Email brief, unformatted
content or links (no graphics or attachments please!) to HNA
E-News Editor Nancy Carleton at halcyon92@gmail.com. Crime-watch
reports and news about neighbors (births, new jobs, announcements
about home businesses or creative projects) are especially
welcome. Please note that due to the volunteer nature of the
endeavor, the E-News does not 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 typically published the
second week of each month; 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 & Neighborhood Watch Listserv: For those interested in getting breaking crime-watch news, discussing ways to make our neighborhood safer, and perhaps participating in night-time and daytime safety “dog” walks (dogs not required!) to build community and serve as eyes on the street, please contact halcyon92@gmail.com indicating your interest in this listserv, and you’ll receive an invitation to join. For everyone’s safety, be sure to include your full name, address, email, and phone.
HNA Disaster Preparedness Listserv: If you’re interested in helping out with neighborhood disaster preparedness, please contact halcyon92@gmail.com indicating your interest, and you’ll receive an invitation to join. For everyone’s safety, be sure to include your full name, address, email, and phone.
HNA Steering Committee Listserv: If you’re interested in serving on HNA’s Steering Committee in alignment with HNA’s Guiding Principles, email halcyon92@gmail.com to indicate your interest. The Steering Committee conducts most of its business via listserv (with one or two in-person meetings annually); members agree to assist with at least one or two HNA events during the course of the year and to answer Yahoo group polls to aid in planning.
Halcyon Neighborhood Association Facebook Group: Our HNA Facebook group (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/36acb93edf/gid=292160762499) gives neighbors fresh opportunities to network, build community, and share ideas about issues of mutual concern. Open to immediate neighbors, friends from nearby neighborhoods, and former neighbors who want to stay in touch.
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://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/8af94d44a8.
HNA is an adopt-a-park affiliate with the nonprofit Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP). Thanks to VerticalResponse for the donation of email services for sending the HNA E-News!