Neighbors, join Halcyon Neighborhood AssociationÕs Facebook group!
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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News March/April 2017
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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. HNA Steering
Committee Meeting, Weds., 3/15, 7:30-9 p.m.
2. Triage
& Tourniquets, This Saturday, 3/11, 10 a.m., Prince Street
3. Work Party in Halcyon Commons &
Surrounding Neighborhood, Sat. 3/18, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
4. Trees! Trees! Trees! Who Wants a Street
Tree?
5. Disaster
Preparedness Fair, Sat., 3/18, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Le Conte School
6. Crime Watch News
7. Whole Foods Market
News: Next Drop-in Meeting Fri., 4/7, 8:15-9:00 a.m.
8.
Halcyon Neighborhood AssociationÕs Guiding Principles
EditorÕs Introductory Note:
This spring brings new opportunities to increase neighborhood safety and help strengthen community in our neighborhood. Please join us!
Happy beginning of spring!
—Nancy Carleton, HNA Co-Chair and E-News Editor, halcyon92@gmail.com
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1. HNA Steering Committee Meeting, Weds., 3/15, 7:30-9 p.m.
EditorÕs note: This is the HNA Steering CommitteeÕs spring meeting to follow up on plans for neighborhood activities during the remainder of 2017, including work parties to maintain Halcyon Commons, disaster preparedness drills, crime-watch meetings, and social events, such as our popular neighborhood potlucks, celebrations in the park, Halloween parade (we need a point person for this to happen in 2017, or two, and you could serve as a liaison without attending meetings), and more. So much is possible in our neighborhood, but we depend on new neighbors getting involved to help keep us moving forward. The HNA Steering Committee uses a Yahoo listserv group for most of its planning to spare us from too many meetings in our already commitment-full lives (weÕll likely have just two or three meetings in all of 2017). We would very much welcome your participation!
Please email halcyon92@gmail.com if you want more information. All neighbors willing to work in the spirit of HNAÕs Guiding Principles (see item 8 below) are welcome to join the Steering Committee. WeÕre very much open to new projects (for example, in the past a couple of neighbors came forward to organize play dates for neighborhood children; another organized a neighborhood singalong, etc.). So if you have an aspect of the neighborhood youÕd like to see addressed, please step up! And if you have a special interest in crime watch, disaster preparedness, or kidsÕ activities, we especially need your help. For a modest investment of time (even 6-10 hours during the whole year can fulfill your commitment), you can make a big difference right here where you live.
HNA Steering
Committee Meeting
Wednesday, March 15, 7:30-9:00
p.m.
Meeting will take place at a home on Webster Street. Email halcyon92@gmail.com for details.
This meeting is open to Steering Committee members plus
interested members of our Crime Watch and Disaster Preparedness groups, and all
who are willing to work together in the spirit of HNAÕs Guiding Principles (see
item 8).
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2. Triage
& Tourniquets, This Saturday, 3/11, 10 a.m., Prince Street
EditorÕs note: This is a great opportunity to receive some basic disaster preparedness training right here in our own neighborhood! Many thanks to neighbors Bill Swartz, Mishaa DeGraw, and Denise Trahan for organizing it!
Triage and
Tourniquets
This Saturday, March
11, 10:00 a.m.
Save Lives, Meet
Neighbors, Possible Free Cookies!
Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1245395998848838/
The Prince Street / Halcyon CERT group proudly presents:
Triage and Tourniquets, a FREE class by Shawn Connors, Lead Civilian CERT Instructor for the Berkeley Fire Department and Office of Emergency Services. Learn to control life-threatening bleeding, and identify candidates for immediate treatment in a multi-injury emergency. No prior knowledge is required to take this class.
If you are a CERT volunteer, a Halcyon neighbor interested in becoming a CERT volunteer, or just interested in meeting neighbors and learning what to do in the event of an emergency, please join us.
March 11, 2017, 10 a.m.
Bill and Mieko Swartz's House 2135 Prince Street
RSVP appreciated but not required.
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3. Work Party in Halcyon
Commons & Surrounding Neighborhood, Sat. 3/18, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince) RAIN OR SHINE!
Time Frame: Come anytime between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Sat. 3/18 (even twenty minutes helps!)
Goals: Weed and mulch in the park and nearby planted areas; remove graffiti
(if the weather cooperates) & trash in the larger neighborhood; enjoy the
company of neighbors and student volunteers from the Berkeley Project
Fuel: Refreshments & lunch courtesy of Whole Foods Market; fresh coffee
courtesy of Starbucks at Telegraph & Ashby
Once again weÕll
enjoy the help of volunteers from the Berkeley Project as students from UC help
us weed in the park and spread mulch. Note given the possibility of rain:
WeedingÕs easier when the groundÕs wet! If you can help, just show up at
Halcyon Commons. Bring your own weeding tools, or weÕll loan you some. Children
welcome!
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4. Trees! Trees! Trees! Who
Wants a Street Tree?
HNA has launched a project to get
more street trees in the Halcyon neighborhood.
The city of Berkeley has a program
to plant (at no charge) street trees in the parkway strips (area between the
sidewalk and curb) throughout the city.
If you have a recommendation for a
spot near your home, please contact a volunteer team member listed below. They
will walk you through or assist with the city application process. Please note
that the city requires a local resident to commit to care for (water) new
street trees during the first 3 years following planting. [EditorÕs note: This
doesnÕt have to be someone who lives at the same address as the tree but can be
a committed neighbor nearby.]
Or, if you would like to join the
volunteer team or have questions, please feel free to contact: Hank
(email: habrons@gmail.com) or
Andrea (email:a.yankowski@yahoo.com).
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5. Disaster Preparedness Fair, Sat., 3/18, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Le
Conte School
EditorÕs note: The City of BerkeleyÕs annual disaster preparedness fair is taking place within walking distance of our neighborhood this year! And it looks like there will be lots of great activities, especially for children.
Kids growing up in earthquake country need a disaster-prepared household. Pet owners need to know how to keep pets safe in a disaster. At this FREE community-wide event, we invite people at all levels of preparedness to take steps towards emergency readiness for their whole family. YouÕll find family-friendly activities, tips and information, on-site training, and interactive demonstrations of safety resources available to you in our community. There will be a showcase of emergency vehicles, prizes, kidsÕ activities, and more. Join families, kids, pets, schools, community organizations and businesses, and people of all ages to have fun, celebrate our community's resilience and protect those you love by getting ready together!
When: Saturday, March 18, 2017, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: Le Conte Elementary School, 2241 Russell St., Berkeley
Cost: FREE
FREE Parking at (Oregon at Telegraph) donated by Douglas Parking
FREE Bike Valet Parking provided by BAAQMD and Bike East Bay
Take BART to Ashby Station
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6. Crime Watch News
EditorÕs 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 to join). 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. We donÕt want to engage in profiling, so if you include a description, please make it as detailed as possible and avoid generalities.
Articles of potential interest:
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/03/06/violence-property-crime-2016/
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/02/27/berkeley-mayor-councilman-pledge-increase-police-resources/
Video of the last half-hour of Town Hall on Robberies sponsored by Councilmember Ben BartlettÕs office (with Mayor Jesse Arreguin and the BPD): https://www.facebook.com/berkeleyside/videos/10154962774657456/
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/02/14/police-warn-cafe-patrons-recent-robberies-berkeley/
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/02/05/berkeley-police-6-robberies-2-5-hours/
EditorÕs note: Halcyon neighbors who are part of our HNA Facebook group can read first-person accounts and feedback on the recent Town Hall on Robberies (which HNA helped publicize but did not organize).
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/02/03/berkeley-police-carbon-monoxide-caused-death-couple-cats/
EditorÕs note: Former Police Chief Dash Butler, who died recently, played a role in helping us create our little park where there was once a parking lot -- Halcyon Commons in South Berkeley -- by writing a strong letter of support signed on his BPD letterhead for our project. It made a big difference for some both in the neighborhood and in city government who'd been expressing fears about the idea of a park in our midst.
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/02/01/dash-butler-berkeley-police-chief-for-11-years-dies-at-66/
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7. Whole
Foods Market News: Next Drop-in Meeting Fri., 4/7, 8:15-9:00 a.m.
EditorÕs note: News from Whole Foods Market, courtesy of Interim Store Team Leader Carlisle Crumley. We wish outgoing Store Team Leader Melody Mestemacher well as she transitions to her new leadership position in Walnut Creek! Mel did an outstanding job during her years at the Telegraph store in nurturing a strong partnership with the neighborhood. Thank you, Mel!
Next Drop-in Progress Meeting, Friday, April 7, 8:15-9:00 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 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 510-649-1333 and ask for the shift manager on duty. We have new shift leaders being trained, so please send an email to the group below so we can follow up appropriately. Always feel free to swing by too, if youÕd like to have a word with us.
Carlisle.Crumley@wholefoods.com
nc.brk.contacts@wholefoods.com
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8. Halcyon Neighborhood AssociationÕs Guiding
Principles
EditorÕs note: Given our upcoming Steering Committee
meeting (see item 1), this E-News features HNAÕs Guiding Principles (which can
always be found on our website).
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 HNAÕs
primary goals and guiding principles.
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