Neighbors, join Halcyon Neighborhood Association’s Facebook group!

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News 6/1/15

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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. Wanted: Strong, Hard-Working Volunteers Saturday, June 13!

2. Crime-Watch Update

3. Whole Foods Market News: Next Drop-in Progress Meeting Friday, June 5, 8:15-8:45 a.m.

4. Disaster Prep: Free CERT Classes

5. Neighborhood Connection to CSA Boxes

6. Water Conservation News & Restrictions

7. Article on Sewer Fee Rate Increase

Editor’s Introductory Note

See item 1 for an exciting opportunity to help rejuvenate Halcyon Commons, in preparation for the park’s 20th anniversary in 2016. Please join us if you’re able.

Also, please note that due to the refurbishment of the d.g. (decomposed granite) pathway, the pathway and all entrances to Halcyon Commons will be closed the weekend of June 13-14 (and possibly a little longer, depending on the weather and how long the d.g. takes to cure). You will still be able to get to the lawn area by crossing the street rather than taking a pathway, but it won’t be possible to get to the tire swing or any of the benches, and there will be a lot of activity taking place around you. Please help us out by making sure folks stay off the pathway until our work is done, at which point the pathway will be fresh and in good shape for your continued enjoyment!

Happy beginning of summer!

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

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1. Wanted: Strong, Hard-Working Volunteers Saturday, June 13!

Editor’s note: This is your golden opportunity to share in the wonderful feeling that HNA’s founders experienced when we created Halcyon Commons nineteen years ago! Can you lend a hand (and your back) on June 13?

Halcyon Neighborhood Association Work Party

Goal: Refurbishing the d.g. (decomposed granite) pathway in Halcyon Commons park (Halcyon Court at Prince in South Berkeley)

Saturday, June 13 (first shift, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; second shift, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.)

[We’re almost full up for Saturday morning but could really use a few more willing volunteers for Saturday afternoon; we’ll also have a small backup team on Sunday morning 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in case we don’t finish on Saturday.]

Breakfast snacks, full lunch, water, and snacks provided courtesy of Whole Foods Market. Fresh coffee courtesy of Mokka Café (Telegraph at Dowling).

Requirements: The ability to shovel, lift, and move (via wheelbarrow) the d.g. (heavy, sandlike dirt) from a big pile in the street and spread it along the pathway, where it will be wetted and tamped down with the help of equipment and a staff member from the City of Berkeley.

There will be a longer lunch break and shorter breaks during the course of your four-hour shift. Only sign up to volunteer if your back’s in reasonably good shape and you’re ready and willing to engage in a few hours of hard but rewarding physical labor, where, at the end of the process, you’ll see visible improvements in a beloved Berkeley landmark. Advance registration and a sincere commitment to show up required and appreciated!

Sign up by contacting HNA Co-Chair John Steere by phone or text (preferred method) at 510-847-0575 or email jsteere@igc.org

Halcyon Commons is a unique community park initiated and created by the neighborhood in partnership with the City of Berkeley in a space where there was once a parking lot. Next year, we’ll be celebrating the park’s 20th anniversary, and in honor of the occasion we’re refreshing the d.g. pathway to make the park more welcoming and accessible to all. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of re-creating this lovely common space and getting it ready for the next twenty years serving as the heart of the Halcyon neighborhood.

Making this effort possible is our volunteer labor, support from staff at the City of Berkeley’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Waterfront, and supplies purchased with funds raised by HNA through our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, Berkeley Partners for Parks (with a generous portion provided by Nickels for Nonprofits program at Whole Foods Market). Thank you for pitching in!

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2. Crime-Watch Update

Editor’s note: Our HNA Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=292160762499 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!

Thanks to HNA Steering Committee member Mikel Delgado for assembling this list of crimes (from http://www.crimemapping.com/) in and near our neighborhood (Mikel is now including a broader territory, including incidents outside the boundaries of our neighborhood, in her reports, so take that into account when comparing this with prior years). Thank you, Mikel!

4/4 Vehicle break-in, Fulton near Russell

4/4 Sexual assault near Alta Bates

4/10 Vehicle stolen (near Ashby BART)

4/12 Robbery, Telegraph & 66th

4/13 Residential burglary, Essex and Wheeler

4/14 Misc. theft, Telegraph & Ashby

4/17 Residential burglary Prince and Fulton

4/19 Misc. theft, Shattuck & Ashby

4/30 Commercial burglary, Essex and Adeline

5/2 Misc. theft, Deakin b/w Prince and Webster

5/3 Car stolen, Woolsey & Shattuck

5/5 Car break-in, Woolsey & Fulton

Also note: Seven residential burglaries in the Prince/Dana/Woolsey/Benvenue area (4/6, 4/14-2; 4/15, 4/24, 4/25, 5/3) and a few car break-ins (4/4, 5/3) in the same general area

5/13 Vehicle break-in, Prince & Halcyon

5/19 Robbery (with firearm), Shattuck & Alcatraz

5/19 Vehicle break-in, Halcyon Court

5/24 Burglary, Prince & Wheeler

5/28 Car stolen, Wheeler & Essex

Also: Cars stolen at Oregon & Fulton (5/11) and Bateman near Prince (5/18); and a robbery at Fulton and Stuart (5/16)

Reported to our HNA Facebook group on May 30 by a Woolsey Street neighbor:

“Secure your bikes! One of our friends on Woolsey had a bike stolen from the side of their house a couple of days ago. And then this morning, our neighbors found a guy in their backyard. They scared him off, but the guy left riding one bike, and holding a second bike (not our neighbor’s). We’re also on Woolsey Street. I called the police, who said they would send a patrol car. . . .”

A Prince Street neighbor chimed in:

“There was a bike theft on Prince Street yesterday as well!”

Another neighbor provided this link to a bicycle registry and encouraged neighbors to register their bikes:

https://bikeeastbay.org/register

And also pointed out that you can register your bikes on campus at UC Berkeley:

http://police.berkeley.edu/prevention/bike.html

Reported to our HNA Facebook group on May 30 by a Halcyon Court neighbor:

“I just confronted the property owners of the therapy offices on the southwest corner of Halcyon and Prince who were in the process of butchering the mulberry trees in the public right-of-way on the west portion of Halcyon (sadly, they had almost finished their butchery, so all I could do was tell them to stop, but much harm had already been done, with many black bags of branches and leaves being carted off). They claimed to have received a note from the city saying they had to trim back overgrowth on their property. Since I used to be on the Tree Committee of the Parks and Recreation Commission, I know that's not how it works when it comes to street trees. The city doesn’t require or permit property owners to trim city street trees, so that struck me as odd. Then I remembered the note a neighbor on the corner of Prince and Fulton posted about the Le Conte Chat list, which had a phony city seal and told her to trim back her roses (then in bloom). Do we have a neighborhood vigilante leaving official-looking notes telling people to trim everything back, street trees included? If so, a great deal of damage was done in this case. I will file a complaint with the Forestry Department, but in this case it seems that the property owners may have been acting in some kind of good faith (if without the vaguest notion of tree-pruning standards). I asked them if they could provide me with a copy of the note received; they didn’t have it and said their manager had received it and notified them. We’ll see if they follow through and send me a copy. I’d really like to get to the bottom of this and see if it looks like it’s from the same person who left the note at Prince and Fulton. In the meantime, I let them know that if in the future they believe the trees in the city right-of-way near their property need trimming, they should notify 311 and the city will take care of it. (The city will also on occasion require property owners to trim back overhang from their property if it’s blocking the sidewalk right-of-way, but please, let's be neighborly and first at least give our neighbors a friendly request rather than taking pruning their property edge into our own hands.)”

A Fulton Street neighbor reported on Le Conte Chat on May 31:

“I’m so sorry that people are taking the bogus notes with the xeroxed seal of Berkeley on it, as genuine when it is really from this plant hater. Do not chop down trees and plants. When I first saw the notes, I called the City to find out more information. But nobody knew anything about this note. And if you look at the note carefully, you’ll realize there’s no phone number, and no contact information. Later, my husband saw this person walking around with these notes. It’s a crank in the neighborhood who seems to hate plants. He is an older, very white and pale male, over 6, or 6'1", maybe mid to late 60s. He wears a floppy sun hat. He’s thin. He wears khakis and some type of hiking shoes. My husband saw that he was walking around breaking branches off of street trees. . . . So folks -- disregard this note -- it is not from the City. If I see this person again, I will try and find out who he is.”

HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton left the following message on the HNA Facebook group page on May 18 in response to messages from neighbors concerned about people setting up camp in the park as well as incidents of vandalism, trash, and graffiti in the park:

“I’m out of town [the week of May 18] but have had a couple of neighbors send messages disturbed about what they’ve noticed [happening] in the park. A reminder: The park closes at 10 p.m. Call the BPD nonemergency number to enforce: 981-5900. Drinking alcohol, drug use, vandalism, throwing trash, dealing drugs, aggressive behavior, [graffiti] and the like are inappropriate anytime and also merit calls (to nonemergency or emergency depending on context). Please take the initiative to set appropriate boundaries on the use of the park so it remains a positive place for all who treat it with respect to enjoy for many years to come!”

City Press Release on May 11 about reporting crimes online:

Report Crimes Online

Berkeley, California (Monday, May 11, 2015) - Berkeley Community members can report certain crimes online, a service that’s particularly helpful when victims need to document crimes for insurance purposes.

The Berkeley Police online reporting service is to be used when there are no leads, witnesses or suspect descriptions. It can be used to report harassing phone calls, identity theft, theft, auto burglaries, and vandalism to a home or vehicle.

Upon completing the online report, users will immediately receive a temporary case number. Reports are reviewed within two business days. Upon approval, you will receive a new case number and a PDF copy of the report you filed, which you may use for your own purposes.

The Berkeley Police Department's Online Crime Reporting System may be used to report the following crimes:

* Harassing Phone Calls: Repeated, disruptive or unwanted calls from an unknown source; re-occurring hang-up calls.

* Identity Theft: Obtaining someone else’s personal identifying information and using it to get credit, goods, or services.

* Theft: Your unattended property is taken without your permission by a person you did not see.

* Theft from Vehicle & Auto Burglary: Property is stolen from an unlocked motor vehicle or car is broken into and items were stolen (a report may be reported regardless if the vehicle was locked, entry was made, or whether or not anything was taken).

* Vandalism (Home or Business): The act of defacing, changing or modifying public or private property, graffiti, knocking over a mailbox, rocks thrown through windows, causing permanent damage.

* Vandalism to a Vehicle: Tampering with a vehicle-keying/scratching, breaking a window, side mirror, or wipers.

Consider filing your report with Berkeley Police Department’s Online Crime Reporting System:

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/onlinereport/

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3. Whole Foods Market News: Next Drop-in Progress Meeting Friday, June 5, 8:15-8:45 a.m.

Editor’s note: News from Whole Foods Market. Please note that the Telegraph Avenue store has a new Marketing Team Leader, Ruby Beaupre, whom we’ll have a chance to meet and welcome at the June 5 meeting. We bid a fond farewell and extend our well wishes to outgoing Marketing Team Leader Lizzie Brimhall, who is relocating to the Chicago area, where she’ll be helping open a store in Evanston, Illinois. It was always a pleasure working with Lizzie, who was 100 percent committed to supporting our neighborhood in partnership. If you’d like to be added to the neighbor notification list that Ruby Beaupre will be maintaining for the neighborhood-WFM meetings (and to notify neighbors when work is being done at the store), please email her at ruby.beaupre@wholefoods.com.

Next Drop-in Progress Meeting, Friday, June 5, 8:15-8:45 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 or tea. 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, Kelly, or Ross will be in the store, so always feel free to swing by too, if you’d like to have a word with us. Or 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

Ross.Burgstead@wholefoods.com

Kelly.Fox@wholefoods.com

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4. Disaster Prep: Free CERT Classes

Editor’s note: Follow the link for the latest free classes the City of Berkeley is offering in emergency preparedness. A Fire Safety class is coming up on June 6 (these are especially fun!), and a CERT Disaster Medical Operations class will take place on June 27.

http://www.cityofberkeley.info/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=57314

Editor’s note: And note that HNA’s disaster preparedness maven is featured at an upcoming CERT meeting:

Our next CERT Volunteer meeting is on 6/10 at 7 p.m. at 997 Cedar – Storytelling and Disaster Preparedness

On Wednesday, June 10th, the chair of the Storytelling Association of California, Karin Werner, and her associate, Sara Armstrong, will talk with CERT Volunteers about using storytelling as a tool for disaster preparation and recovery. As we work to prepare for disasters, we strive to connect with our neighbors and community. These connections build trust and confidence in our ability to act together before a disaster and also help define our ability to recover afterwards. Berkeley CERT Volunteer and accomplished improviser, Susan Snyder, will begin the evening and introduce Sara and Karin. They will present the storytelling experience as a tool to connect communities and put forth some thoughts on how we can harness storytelling to strengthen our neighborhoods and enhance Berkeley’s disaster resilience. Join us for this rare and important opportunity.

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5. Neighborhood Connection to CSA Boxes

Editor’s note: Prince Street neighbor Wendy Kaufmyn submitted the following announcement.

There is a farmer in the neighborhood! Easy CSA box pick up!

My daughter, Dart Kaufman, is part of Root and Bloom Farm (http://www.rootandbloomfarm.com/), which is offering CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes. Since I will be picking up one for myself every week it occurred to me that if anyone in the neighborhood is interested in getting one (or even sharing one) I could pick theirs up too. Then they would only need to walk a few blocks to get wonderful, delicious, sustainably grown organic veggies and flowers for $25/week. Please let me know if you are interested in a box or in sharing one. Email Wendy at Kaufmyn@aol.com

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6. Water Conservation News & Restrictions

Editor’s note: This article outlines some of the new local restrictions and fines surrounding water usage during the drought.

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2015/05/04/water-conservation-gets-serious-with-restrictions-penalties/

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7. Article on Sewer Fee Rate Increase

Editor’s note: This article from Berkeleyside outlines some of the issues surrounding the proposed sewer fee rate increase, which property owners have received notice of in the past month (with voter protest possible through June 26). Note that HNA doesn’t have and won’t be taking a position on the rate increase in accordance with our Guiding Principles.

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2015/05/14/proposed-130-sewer-fee-rate-increase-now-up-to-voters/

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