Neighbors, join Halcyon Neighborhood Association’s Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=292160762499!

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News 8/5/13

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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. National Night Out Against Crime: Ice Cream Social in the Park, Tuesday, 8/6, 6:30-8 p.m.

2. Crime-Watch Updates

3. Whole Foods Market News: Community Meeting on August, 9:15-9:45, & Hydro Jetting August 13

4. Adopt a Piece of the Park: Ongoing Stewardship as Halcyon Commons Celebrates Its 17th Birthday

5. Halcyon Neighbor Holding Yard Sale Sat. 8/17 Would Welcome Others to Sell That Day Too

6. Land-Use Issues: Chevron at Ashby/Telegraph Has Project in Works; Starbucks at Ashby/Telegraph?

Editor’s Introductory Note:

This evening: National Night Out Against Crime, celebrated with an Ice Cream Social here in the Halcyon neighborhood. If it were up to me, I’d rename the event National Night Out for a Safer, Healthier Community, as the years have demonstrated to me that getting to know our neighbors and thereby cultivating a stronger and healthier community is the most effective way to decrease crime and increase safety. For example, when we know our neighbors, we notice when something’s out of the ordinary and take action to safeguard their well-being as well as our own -- calling the Police if we see someone who appears to be casing their house or apartment, and so on. Our Ice Cream Social in the park this evening is a fun way to connect with your neighbors, meet some new people who live nearby, strategize about ways to decrease crime, and also get to ask questions of some of the police and fire fighters who work hard to keep our community safe. Please come on out!

In addition to thanks to Tory Finn who’s been putting together tonight’s event in the park, many thanks to those who helped out with our work party in Halcyon Commons in late July — a small crew comprised of Mary Stoker, Nancy Carleton, Bruce Wicinas, and Susan Hunter, with an assist from Ann Strong, accomplished a lot by putting in extra hours (and even extra hours over days), and enjoyed delicious treats from Whole Foods Market during the work party itself. Because our work party participation from neighbors is waning, and the park needs attention in between the work parties where student volunteers from the Berkeley Project help out, we’re going to be experimenting with a new model; see item 4 to find out how you can adopt a piece of the park, and in a few minutes each month help keep Halcyon Commons well tended as it celebrates its 17th birthday and enters its 18th year.

Thank you for showing up!

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

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1. National Night Out Against Crime: Ice Cream Social in the Park,
Tuesday, 8/6, 6:30-8 p.m.

Ice Cream Social in the Park for National Night Out Against Crime

Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Tuesday, August 6, 6:30-8 p.m.

Delicious Middle Eastern appetizers and sheet cake courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

Homemade Ice Cream (and nondairy alternative) courtesy of neighborhood volunteers.

Children welcome and encouraged to attend!

We’re anticipating a fun summer evening in the park this evening, with visits from police, firefighters, and city officials. This event is a crucial part of our neighborhood watch program, so bundle up to stay warm and please come out and support it with your presence!

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2. Crime-Watch Updates

Editor’s note: Please note that in our neighborhood we do our best to keep neighbors updated on crime trends as well as to share personal reports when submitted. The hope is that by being informed, we can all be proactive in safeguarding our families and our property. HNA covers a large territory, and sometimes it can be alarming to see a list of crimes (especially in this edition of the E-News, since I wasn’t able to put out an edition in July due to travel so it covers multiple months)! I’d like to assure everyone that the patterns we report here are similar to those in other Berkeley neighborhoods; the difference is that we make sure you know about them! Any crime represents a violation, and we’ll continue to do our best to let you know what’s happening so you can take appropriate action. Our HNA Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=292160762499 often shares breaking crime reports in between E-News editions. If you’re a neighbor who isn’t yet part of this closed Facebook group, you’re missing out (your home and email addresses are required to participate so we can be sure the group is kept safe for neighbors, and we must have your information on file prior to accepting your request). Remember, we rely on neighbors to fill in the details of crimes in our neighborhood, so, in addition to being sure to file 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 [this list is longer than usual since the Editor’s travels prevented her from putting out an E-News in July]. Thank you, Mikel!

6/4 theft, Emerson at Shattuck
6/11 burglary Ellsworth at Ashby

6/12 robbery Shattuck and Woolsey
6/13 simple assault Telegraph and 66th
6/14 robbery Fulton near Prince
6/19 burglary Wheeler; non-larceny theft Dowling at Telegraph

7/8 vehicle stolen Prince at Shattuck
7/9 theft Ashby at Shattuck
7/18 vehicle break-in Telegraph at Ashby
7/19 vehicle break-in Ashby at Fulton
7/20 vehicle break-in Telegraph at Ashby; commercial burglary Telegraph at Ashby

7//27 car break-ins Telegraph and Ashby, Prince and Telegraph

7/28 larceny theft Telegraph and Ashby

7/29 car break-ins Shattuck and Essex, Shattuck and Woolsey

7/31 larceny theft Fulton and Ashby

8/1 burglary Woolsey at Whitney

8/4 car break-in Telegraph and Ashby

An Ashby neighbor reported the following to our Facebook group:

“We had a bike stolen from our property last night [July 30/31], five feet from our front door. Woke up this morning and our gate was open. The bike was old, rusty and likely had flat tires. It was under a cheap plastic cover, with some other junk stacked on top of it and partially covered in leaves. It was locked to a tree with a cheap cable lock. It was in the path of a very bright motion light that would have turned on while the thieves were taking it. Our bright front porch light was also on nearby. My husband now thinks he heard them taking it at about 1 a.m. this morning. He was in our living room with bright lights on and dismissed the noise (we hear a lot of noises that turn out to be animals, people not on our property, etc. since we live on a tiny property on a busy street). I’d been meaning to take the bike and donate it to the nonprofit that refurbishes them down at the marina since it has been sitting outside our house for years and it needed some TLC. It seems likely that the people who stole it had cased our house previously, given how well covered the bike was. I called the nonemergency number to report. We are on Ashby near Fulton.”

A Prince Street neighbor reported:

“I wanted to mention that I made a police call last night (Monday 6/25) around 4 a.m. There was a man --seemingly intoxicated or otherwise out of control -- yelling and pounding on the windows of an empty car parked on Prince at Halcyon. He wandered west on Prince before the police arrived; they followed, but I’m not sure what, if anything, happened after that.”

A Halcyon neighbor reported to our Facebook group:

Possible casing: I just observed a youth with a clipboard who had earlier knocked on my door, then headed west on Prince (I didn't open the door when he knocked: he identified himself as “student” when I said “who is it?”) knocking on the door of a house on [the east side of) Halcyon, then trying to turn the knob. Considering that suspicious, I have reported this to the Police, who [sent] someone out.”

Editor’s note: A description was included, and various neighbors responded in the comment section, one stating that he’d called to check and the teen involved was selling legitimate magazine subscriptions to raise funds for college. However, some neighbors also reported that the youth had tried to jiggle door knobs, sometimes aggressively, to get a response, so the overall incident falls into a gray area. In my experience, it is far better to report suspicious behavior to the Police (who, again in my experience, handle resulting inquiries respectfully), as they have encouraged us to do, than to hope for the best and later learn that a neighbor has been burglarized or robbed. In this case, the Police sent a patrol car right away; it’s unclear if they encountered the teen, but at least their presence sent a message.

A Wheeler Street neighbor reported the following to our Facebook group:

“I came home just now to find an Amazon box that was delivered this morning [June 14] opened and rifled through. Nothing taken, but this hasn’t happened before so I thought I’d mention it here.”

Another neighbor chimed in: “That happened to us too. I reported it to the police. Our dog walker said she saw two teenage boys on the porch holding it but they ran off and she couldn't give a good description.”

And another: “My packages usually get stolen so I don't have anything delivered to my house (Ashby/Telegraph).”

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3. Whole Foods Market: Community Meeting on Friday, August 23, 8:00-8:30 & Hydro Jetting August 13

Drop-In Progress Meeting, Friday, August 23, 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.”

Also, Lizzie Brimhall, Community Relations Team Leader, also submitted the following:

Good morning, Halcyon Neighbors!

I wanted to reach out about some hydro jetting we’re scheduling for next Tuesday, August 13. We are having our drains cleaned out for the whole store, which is something we do quarterly.

In the past we have done this at night but for the sake of the noise it generates for the neighborhood we are going to try and see how it works during the morning. The noise will be from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. We will have the machine parked out in the front parking lot so it should not be too impactful. Regardless, please reach out to us if any issues arise.

Thank you!

Have a wonderful day,
Lizzie Brimhall, Marketing Team Leader

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4. Adopt a Piece of the Park: Ongoing Stewardship as Halcyon Commons Celebrates Its 17th Birthday

A core group of the team that takes care of Halcyon Commons has been brainstorming ways to keep the park looking its best in between our big work parties in the spring and fall, when dozens of student volunteers from the Cal Berkeley Project help us with weeding and mulching in the park as well as graffiti removal in the larger neighborhood. And so we’ll be doing a trial run of HNA Treasurer (and Friends of Halcyon Commons stalwart) Susan Hunter’s Adopt-a-Piece-of-the-Park project. We’ve divided the park into small, manageable chunks, and at your own leisure (perhaps when you’re there anyhow with your kids or dog), you can fit in five or ten minutes here and there to pull weeds in that area only. Susan and HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton will show you the area and point out what’s a weed and what’s a desired part of the Halcyon Commons plant palette (we don’t want to lose any of our base natives accidentally during the weeding process, as sometimes happens).

Our hope is that by making the areas small and manageable, and the task simple and focused, we can maintain better control over the weeds month by month, though we’ll still be having the two big work parties spring and fall, and smaller work parties as needed, to accomplish the larger tasks.

Please email halcyon92@gmail.com if you’re willing to be part of this pilot project! Thank you!

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5. Halcyon Neighbor Holding Yard Sale Sat. 8/17 Would Welcome Others to Sell That Day Too

Editor’s Note: Announcement received from a Halcyon Court neighbor:

“I am planning on holding a moving sale on Saturday 8/17 at 3044 Halcyon Court as I am moving out of town soon. The sale will be from 10 a.m. until around 2:30 p.m. I am open to the possibility of multiple yard sales around the neighborhood if more people are interested in joining in so that we can collaborate on advertising, publicity, and signs to make the sale a big success. Contact Makiko Fukuzawa at mkkfkzw@gmail.com if you are interested.”  

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6. Land-Use Issues: Chevron at Ashby/Telegraph Has Project in Works;
Starbucks at Ashby/Telegraph?

Editor’s note: As most of you are aware, it is rare for HNA to take a position on land-use issues. According to our Guiding Principles (see our HNA website), we only take positions when there is near unanimity among neighbors, which has happened only a handful of times during our twenty-plus years as a neighborhood group. There are currently two land-use issues at the eastern border of our neighborhood, at the Ashby/Telegraph intersection. One is new (the Chevron Station remodel at the northwest corner of the intersection), and the other is already at the second appeal stage (the permit granted for a Starbucks at the southeast corner). HNA has not taken a position on either project. While we’ve yet to solicit or receive input on the Chevron project, it’s clear that there are a range of viewpoints among neighbors regarding the Starbucks proposal, and our HNA co-chairs submitted a letter to ZAB summarizing comments submitted to us by neighbors. We encourage all neighbors who have a strong opinion to pass on your comments directly to decision makers. You can find contact information either at our HNA website or at the City of Berkeley website.

Chevron Station Remodel Ashby/Telegraph (excerpts from letter received from project manager):

Dear Neighbors:

On behalf of the owner Arash Salkhi, we would like to inform you of the proposed remodel. We encourage you to review . . . the plans and look forward to addressing your questions or concerns. Our goal is to work with the surrounding neighbors, owners and tenants and try to identify and resolve any issued needing resolution prior to the formal Planning submittal.

The proposed remodel consists of the following:

* An addition to, and remodel of, the auto service building, . . . which will create a 2,475 foot +/- convenience store and a 1,950 sq. ft. +/- food shop. The owner has not secured a tenant for the food shop yet but is thinking along the lines of a sandwich or yogurt shop.

* New parking, landscaping, and an outdoor seating area. . . .

* [More details re kiosk, underground diesel fuel storage tank, propane tank, landscaping, etc. . . .]”

Ron Jacobs, Project Manager, PM Design Group rjacabos@pmdginc.com; 707-400-6264

Editor’s note: The application was apparently submitted to Planning in July. We encourage those interested to track the Planning process and contact the Zoning Adjustments Board with your comments.

Starbucks Permit Update Ashby/Telegraph

Editor’s note: Bateman Neighborhood Association filed an appeal to ZAB of the permit granted for a large café (presumably Starbucks) at the corner site. After a late-night hearing in late June at which dozens of community members spoke (most in support of the appeal and opposing the permit), ZAB voted 5-4 to deny the appeal, upholding the permit (see this article at Berkeleyside for details: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/07/02/berkeley-neighbors-bid-to-halt-starbucks-stumbles/?utm_source=Daily+Briefing+subscribers&utm_campaign=8e4d8678d1-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_aad4b5ee64-8e4d8678d1-333184121). According to the latest information we’ve received, the permit is now being appealed to the City Council level; supporters of Mokka Café, which has been one of the leaders in opposition to the permit, held a meeting this past Sunday to organize support for the second appeal. If you have strong opinions pro or con, please submit your comments directly to Berkeley City Councilmembers.

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