Neighbors, join Halcyon Neighborhood Association’s Facebook group!

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News 4/2/14

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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 Editor’s introductory comments express her personal viewpoint.

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Contents

1. Nickels for Nonprofits: Bring Your Own Bag When You Shop Whole Foods Market April 14 – July 6 and Benefit Halcyon Commons!

2. In Case of Bee Swarm, Contact Neighbor Bruce Wicinas

3. Crime-Watch Updates & Links

4. Whole Foods Market News: Next Drop-in Progress Meeting, May 7, 8-8:30 a.m.

5. City Council Denies Use Permit for Large Café at Ashby & Telegraph

6. Disaster Preparedness Fair, Sat. April 26, 10-2, North Berkeley BART Station

Editor’s Introductory Note:

Thanks to Berkeley Project and neighborhood volunteers who helped out with a successful work party March 15 weeding and mulching in Halcyon Commons and nearby landscaped features as well as removing graffiti in the larger neighborhood! It was a great day, and donations from Whole Foods Market and Mokka Café kept us well fueled.

Another exciting way to help keep Halcyon Commons looking its best will be available soon thanks to Whole Foods Market making Friends of Halcyon Commons a recipient of its Nickels for Nonprofits program from April 14 through July 6 (see item 1). What this means is that if you bring your own bag when you shop at Whole Foods Market during that period, you can donate the nickel refund(s) for your bag(s) to special projects in the park. For the eighteen years since the park’s dedication, HNA/Friends of Halcyon Commons has faithfully fulfilled our agreement to help with the maintenance of this community-initiated greenspace. We appreciate the ongoing support of Whole Foods Market, and we ask neighbors to make a special point of supporting our Nickels for Nonprofits grant!

Many thanks and happy spring!

—Nancy Carleton, HNA Co-Chair and E-News Editor, halcyon92@gmail.com

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1. Nickels for Nonprofits: Bring Your Own Bag When You Shop Whole Foods Market April 14 – July 6 and Benefit Halcyon Commons!

Editor’s note: We’re thrilled to announce that Whole Foods Market has made Halcyon Commons a recipient of their Nickels for Nonprofits program. Bring your own bag(s) between April 14 and July 6, 2014, and tell the checkout team member that you want to donate your nickel refund(s) to Halcyon Commons. Cumulatively, the funds raised will be channeled to special projects in the park through our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, Berkeley Projects for Parks. The plan is to use the funds to pay for supplies to refurbish the pathway in the park using volunteer labor (with work party dates to take place in late August or September). Please be sure to bring your own bags during this period, and make sure the team member at checkout is aware you want to donate your refund! Thanks to Whole Foods Market for making us a recipient of this program, and to all neighbors who help us out in this way.

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2. In Case of Bee Swarm, Contact Neighbor Bruce Wicinas

Editor’s note: A swarm of bees landed in a branch very high up one of the redwoods in Halcyon Commons in late March. Unfortunately, they moved on despite attempts of one of our neighborhood beekeepers, Bruce Wicinas, to lure them into a bee box. If they’d been on a lower branch, he could have climbed up to retrieve them. This is the season for swarming, so here’s a message from Bruce in case you see another swarm (we want to make sure bees end up where they’re wanted rather than settling in someone’s attic or accessory building where they’re not wanted). Thanks to the bees who keep our neighborhood flowering trees and bushes so beautiful, and to the neighborhood beekeepers who provide them with good homes!

April is bee-swarm month, and our neighborhood seems to lie on the flight path of swarms on the move. If you spot a bee swarm settling in a tree or bush in our neighborhood and notify a local beekeeper, it will be promptly collected unless it’s too high above the ground. Please call beekeeper Bruce Wicinas at 510-740-5651 M-F daytime or 510-848-1797 other hours. Bruce has the numbers of other local beekeepers who may also be interested if he’s unable to respond.

When you see a bee swarm, you are witnessing bee propagation -- the natural way without the aid of humans. In the spring, a vigorous hive produces a new queen. She leaves and takes about half the worker bees with her, leaving the old queen with the existing hive. Assuming the form of a cloud of airborne bees called a swarm, queen and workers seek a new home, settling in the late afternoons and evenings in a temporary bee ball made up of thousands of bees. Swarming bees are typically under the control of powerful pheromones, and will not attack humans or others unless they threaten the queen.

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3. Crime-Watch Updates & Links

Editor’s note: Our HNA Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=292160762499 often shares breaking crime reports in between E-News editions (your home and email addresses plus phone are required to participate so we can be sure the group is kept safe for neighbors, and we require this information prior to accepting your request). Remember, we rely on neighbors to fill in the details of crimes in our neighborhood, so, in addition to filing a police report (which can now be done online through the City of Berkeley website for some kinds of crimes: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/onlinereport/), please email halcyon92@gmail.com to pass the word on to your neighbors, or share it on our Facebook page, so we can all stay aware and vigilant!

HNA Steering Committee member Mikel Delgado submitted the following summary of recent crimes in or near the neighborhood from the first half of March. Good to see the number of crimes going down! Thank you, Mikel, for your ongoing work collecting the information!

3/2 vehicle break-in, Woolsey & Wheeler

3/12 vehicle break-in, Prince & Deakin

3/17 burglary, Prince & Wheeler

From a post to our Facebook from March 2 (the location wasn’t given):

“Just had a woman looking under stress enter our gated backyard. When she saw me she fled and left a bicycle on our front yard. If anyone is missing a bike let me know the make and color and I will give it back to you.”

From a Prince Street neighbor (also reported to the Facebook group), on March 17:

“An intruder just entered my backyard. I have a locked gate, which he opened! A short older black man on a bicycle. He ran when I yelled at him. The police are on their way. He was also gathering recycled things from the bin on the. Outside of the gate.” [Editor’s note: This description closely resembles that of the man who attempted to steal a bicycle in January, resulting in a chase through the neighborhood.]

Received from Councilmember Max Anderson’s Office: BPD Survey on Beat Structure

Berkeley Police are evaluating the department's beat structure to ensure the most efficient police service is being delivered to all those who come to and live in the city.

The community can help in that effort by filling out an online survey about police services and the current beat structure: https://surveymonkey.com/s/TJJHDBS

The Berkeley Police current beat structure that divides the City into 18 police patrol beats has been in place since 1993. Crime trends, calls for service, crime statistics and staffing levels were used to determine this beat structure. Given changes in the City over that time, the Police Department is now examining its beat deployment strategy with the help of Matrix Consulting Group. Matrix will analyze population, geography, patrol deployment, staffing levels, officer workload, calls for service, proactive patrol time, response times, crime data, industry standards and best practices and the need for flexible units to respond to identified crime trends, as well as the costs associated with service delivery. Additionally, Matrix will assess community perceptions and priorities through the use of surveys and community meetings.

Any recommended changes to the geographic beat areas will take into consideration an even distribution of workload across beats, boundaries which utilize efficient routes of travel, the minimization of natural barriers and the minimization of neighborhood divisions. Any proposed changes will be brought to the City Council for review and discussion. Public input is important. The Berkeley Police Department asks that all those who live, work and visit the City of Berkeley fill out the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TJJHDBS.

Please complete the survey by Friday, April 11, 2014. If you have any questions about completing the survey, please feel free to contact Matrix project manager, Richard Brady, at (650) 858-0507 or rbrady@matrixcg.net.

Link related to Crime Watch:

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/14/robberies-rise-but-serious-crime-down-overall-in-2013/?utm_source=Daily+Briefing+subscribers&utm_campaign=30deeb66aa-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_aad4b5ee64-30deeb66aa-333184121

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4. Whole Foods Market News: Nickels for Halcyon; Next Drop-in Progress Meeting, May 7, 8-8:30 a.m.

Editor’s note: News from Whole Foods Market. If you’d like to be added to the neighbor notification list that Lizzie Brimhall maintains for the neighborhood-WFM meetings (and to notify neighbors when work is being done at the store), please email her at lizzie.brimhall@wholefoods.com.

Nickels for Halcyon Commons! Bring Your Own Bag April 14-July 6 and Donate Your Nickel Refund to Refurbishment Projects in Halcyon Commons!

Editor’s note: See item 1 above, and be sure to bring your own bags during this time period and ask that your refund be donated to Halcyon Commons!

Free Events

Coming May 10, 2014: Free Mother’s Day event.

Ongoing: Final Fridays at Oakland Museum of California.

Contact Lizzie.Brimhall@wholefoods.com for information about free events.

Next Drop-in Progress Meeting, Wednesday, May 7, 8-8:30 a.m.

Whole Foods Market (check in at Customer Service)

“These meetings are held at the Community Table at the front of the store, and the purpose is to share our plans for ongoing changes in the store, street litter control, and progress on any of the ongoing issues we discuss [with HNA reps and nearby neighbors]. The Store Team Leader is usually present, and anyone is welcome to join us. Of course there will be complimentary coffee, tea, and snacks. Our goal is to follow up immediately on any issues that we hear about, and to hear how the store can be a better neighbor.”

As always, if there are ever any urgent issues, please call the store at 510-649-1333 and ask for the shift manager on duty. If it’s between 7: 30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Melody, Carlisle, Curt, OR Donna will be in the store, so always feel free to swing by, too, if you’d like to have a word with us. Call the store during business hours (8 a.m.-10 p.m.) at 649-1333 and ask for a Shift Manager:

Melody.Mestemacher@wholefoods.com

Curt.Sundin@wholefoods.com
Carlisle.Crumley@wholefoods.com

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5. City Council Denies Use Permit for Large Café at Ashby & Telegraph

Editor’s note: Here’s some follow-up links on the appeal of the use permit for a large café at 3001 Telegraph (at Ashby)

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/12/neighbors-stop-a-new-starbucks-opening-in-berkeley/

http://www.dailycal.org/2014/03/12/city-council-votes-permit-south-berkeley-starbucks-location/

http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/starbucks-denied-permit-for-berkeley-california-location

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6. Disaster Preparedness Fair, Sat. April 26, 10-2, North Berkeley BART Station

Editor’s note: Received from HNA’s Disaster Preparedness Coordinator Susan Snyder.

Hello Neighbors,

Berkeley CERT is putting on a FREE Emergency Prep Fair FULL of interesting trainings (medical, fire suppression, special topics for pets and families with kids), vendors to pick up supplies, art, music and community connection. (Although the focus is kids & pets, there is A LOT that is for anyone and everyone)

It is on Saturday April 26th from 10-2 at the North Berkeley BART station. I hope many of you will be able to come by (I’ll be running the Children's Activities -- please say hello!).

ALSO, it'd be wonderful to have some neighborhood momentum of going together -- even just a few neighbors doing it together makes a difference in how it feels. Since I’m working the fair, I cannot coordinate a neighborhood group. I am pasting the info from CERT in case anyone can make a go of it.

AND we need volunteers for the day of the fair. Please let me know at susan@un-scripted.com if you have a few hours to help out. Lovely t-shirt, lunch, and lots of gratitude awaits you.

Thanks

Susan

Plan Your Neighborhood Field Trip

April 26, 2014 Berkeley Emergency Prep Fair

Spend time with neighbors and get your whole neighborhood better prepared by planning neighborhood field trip to the fair. The fair is a family-friendly event for adults and children to attend together. Whether you’re interested in pet preparedness, first aid, fire safety, children’s science and art, or just enjoying pizza and music while being part of the community, your field trip will get your neighborhood more ready for emergencies.

Step 1: Tell your neighbors about the fair; use neighborhood email, web (Facebook, nextdoor.com), written notes, and especially in person.

Resources

5” x 7” printed flyers -- Flyers are available at 2100 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, 2nd

Please contact Mary McBride at 510-526-9288. You can also download the flyer the website: Download Event Flyer

Event Details (schedule of events on the website)

What: Berkeley Emergency Prep Fair

When: Saturday, April 26, 2014, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Where: North Berkeley BART Station.

Website: www.cityofberkeley.info/prepfair

Step 2: When to Get to the Fair

A schedule of activities is available on the event webpage. Consider arranging or hosting a neighborhood meeting to organize teams, who, after the Fair, would report back to the neighbors about what they learned and how your neighborhood group can be strengthened because of this new experience. Neighbors can plan to come in teams at times for activities that are of most interest. Come a little early to be sure not to miss it.

Hint:

Send a group to learn about Pet Preparedness and Pet First Aid (All Day).

Get the neighborhood families together with their kids and play the Family Preparedness Quiz game in the Children’s Area. (11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.)

Send your CERT Medical/First Aid team for onsite training at the fair (10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m.)

Step 3: How to Get to the Fair

So many transportation options, this should be the easy part: Take BART to the fair. Free parking is also available. If you’re close by, walk together as a group.

Step 4: Have fun at the Fair!

Learn together, Get it Together, Be Together, Keep it Together

• Enjoy live music, food, kids and family activities.

• Get emergency supplies from local vendors.

• Learn with on-site training and workshops from experts.

• Donate Blood with the American Red Cross

• Share time with neighbors, family, kids and friends in our community making kids and pets safer and Berkeley more disaster resilient!

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers in our community and contributions from local organizations make the fair possible. We can always use more volunteers to assist us on the day of the Prep Fair. If you are interested or know of others who would like to donate their time, please contact Kim Tonkyro at (510) 841-4896 or kimtonkyro@gmail.com

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