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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News 1/11/11

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Items appearing in the HNA E-Update 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. Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, Sunday, January 23, 5:30-8:45 p.m.!

2. A Message from Retiring HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin

3. Shattuck Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (SNCPC) Meeting, Thursday, Jan. 27, 7 p.m.

4. More Flyer Distributors Needed for 2011

5. Free Monthly Tai Chi Practice in the Park, Sunday, January 23, 11 a.m. (with optional training at 10:30 a.m.)

6. Crime Watch Updates: Burglary, Theft of Catalytic Converter on Prince Street

7. Feedback Sought for 1/13 New Year’s Meeting with Reps of Whole Foods Market Plus January Announcement from Whole Foods

8. A Note to People with Dogs: Please Be Diligent about Picking Up after Them!

9. BORP Fitness Center Open House, Weds., Jan. 26, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

10. Community Announcements: Woman Seeks Rental; Neighbors Seek Bicycle Tune-Up Person

11. UC Chancellor’s Community Partnership Grants: Pre-Applications Due Feb. 9; Community Info Meeting, Weds., Jan. 12

12. Useful Emergency Preparedness Link: Video on Continuous Chest Compression CPR (a Simpler Alternative to Standard CPR)

 

 

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1. Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, Sunday, January 23, 5:30-8:45 p.m.!

 

One of the most popular Halcyon events of the year! Join your neighbors as we progress from house to house for a fabulous multi-course dinner; attend one course or all four.

 

Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, Sunday, January 23, 2010, 5:30-8:45 p.m.

 

First Course: Appetizers, 5:30-6:20 p.m.

3020 Wheeler (at Emerson between Prince & Ashby)

 

Second Course: Salads, 6:25-7:15 p.m.

3009 Wheeler (between Emerson and Ashby)

 

Third & Fourth Courses: Main Dishes and Desserts, 7:20-8:45 p.m.

2329 Webster Street (two doors west of Whole Foods)

 

Potluck suggestions:

T-Z: Appetizer *  I-N: Salad * A-H: Main Dish * O-S: Dessert

 

Please bring a festive dish for 10-12, and, if possible, a beverage to share as well (it really helps if enough folks bring beverages too). Children welcome. If not obvious, kindly attach a label with ingredients for your dish to alert those with vegetarian and other diets. Bring the item assigned for your letter to the designated household, or substitute another suggestion if you won't be attending the course for your letter.

 

* In addition, PLEASE bring along a check or cash contribution to HNA of whatever size (no amount is too small or large; your contribution will help us upgrade our neighborhood disaster supply cache plus continue to duplicate flyers in 2011)!

 

Volunteer(s) Sought to Help Set Up at Final Hosts’ Household!

 

Request for neighborly volunteers: John and Michelle Steere are happy to host dinner and dessert courses at their home for the Halcyon Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, but both of us will have recently had operations on our arms that will make it difficult for either of us to lift anything, so we’d like to ask a couple neighbors to come by early (5 p.m.) to spend fifteen or twenty minutes helping us set the house up for the event. Please call John at 849-1969 if you can help in this way. Thanks!

 

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2. A Message from Retiring HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin

 

Hello Everyone,

 

Those of you who came to the Fall Celebration in the Park know that I am retiring from my volunteer position as Neighborhood Watch Coordinator for HNA. I am still hoping others will step up to take over the work I did for both local crime prevention/reporting and emergency preparedness. Anyone who is interested is welcome to contact me (familyrubin@comcast.net, 510/843-3793). I will remain on the HNA Steering Committee and continue to help as time allows. I will also remain active in the crime part of the work in two ways:

 

1. I will remain the sector representative for Halcyon Neighborhood for the Shattuck Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (SNCPC).

 

2. I am going to work with the Berkeley Safe Neighborhood Committee and the Berkeley Police Department and residents and merchants to help create and run a pilot Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) in Berkeley, very likely in Beat 10, which includes the western side of Halcyon Neighborhood.

 

Knowing that we had trouble scheduling specific dates for neighborhood watch meetings and emergency preparedness drills for Halcyon Neighborhood for 2011 due to lack of volunteer support, I want to make sure everyone is invited to a joint meeting of interested neighbors from Oakland and Berkeley [see item 3 below].  Please do make an effort to attend; the information is very relevant to us, here and now, given recent gunfire related to these shrines.

 

Dawn Trygstad Rubin

 

Editor’s note: A warm round of thanks is due to Dawn for her outstanding work over many years to strengthen HNA’s crime watch and our relationship with the police, as well as to improve our level of disaster preparedness (including hard work on an excellent emergency drill last year). Thank you so much, Dawn! I know you’ll continue to participate in many ways, and I hope that a number of neighbors will step up to the plate to take on some of the tasks you were doing, as well as to support you in your work to set up a pilot NCPC in Berkeley.

 

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3. Shattuck Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (SNCPC) Meeting, Thurs., Jan. 27, 7 p.m.

 

Editor’s note: See retiring Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin’s note in item 2 for some context. Attending this meeting would be a great way to get a sense of how SNCPC works.

 

WHAT: SNCPC Public Meeting

WHERE: North Oakland Senior Center (58th & Martin Luther King Jr. Way) (park and enter through parking lot on 58th St. side)

WHEN: Thursday, January 27, 7:00 p.m. (the public meetings usually last about an hour)

TOPIC: Street Memorials and Shrines and Law Enforcement's policies regarding them.

- Historically, what effect have they had on a neighborhood and the surrounding city?

- Are they legal on public property?

- How long will they be allowed to remain?

- How are they removed and by whom?

- Advice to the public regarding these shrines and the people who erect them.

Representatives of OPD, BPD, and the Oakland Housing Authority PD will be at the meeting to discuss their agencies’ formal policies and practices for dealing with these shrines and to answer questions from those attending.

 

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4. More Flyer Distributors Needed for 2011

 

Editor’s note: The neighborhood volunteers who agree to drop off HNA flyers four or five times during the course of the year make it possible for us to highlight important events, share disaster preparedness information, and reach out to new neighbors and those who don’t have email. Our flyer distribution network allows us to reach over 860 households, but only takes each volunteer 20 or 30 minutes to do a designated stretch. Some of our distributors need to take a break after several years of service, so we have a few gaps that need coverage. This is a great way to give back to the neighborhood with a relatively small commitment of time. Please email halcyon92@gmail.com if you’d be willing to take on a stretch for 2011 (or if you’d be willing to act as an alternate when a regular distributor is out of town), and I’ll pass your contact information on to our Flyer Distribution Coordinator, Jay Migliaccio. This is also a good time to once again say thank-you to the entire team, including Jay Migliaccio, Dawn Rubin, Mark Foy, and Nancy Carleton, as well as all the distributors!

 

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5. Free Monthly Tai Chi Practice in the Park, Sunday, January 23, 11 a.m. (with optional training at 10:30 a.m.)

 

Free monthly Tai Chi Chih Practice (fourth Sundays at 11 a.m.)

Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Facilitated by Prince Street neighbor Judith Schwartz, 510-843-2062;

http://www.judithschwartz.com/

 

Optional free instruction in Tai Chi Chih basics at 10:30 a.m. before the January 23 practice!

Contact Judith if you’re a beginner who’d like to learn enough of the basics to practice along with the group at 11 a.m. (Judith will only show up at 10:30 to offer this free instruction if some folks contact her in advance to say they’ll be there, so be sure to call if you’re interested; see contact information above.)

 

Editor’s note: Judith also offers ongoing classes to teach the Tai Chi forms in her peaceful Prince Street gardens; you can contact her for more information.

 

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6. Crime Watch Updates: Burglary, Theft of Catalytic Converter on Prince Street

 

Editor’s note: A Prince Street neighbor reported the following incidents affecting a new neighbor on his block (this neighbor is now joining the E-News list — but let’s hope he won’t have anything else to report anytime soon!). Everyone, please remember to email halcyon92@gmail.com when you experience thefts or burglaries so we can keep the neighborhood informed (and of course be sure to make a report to the Berkeley Police as well).

 

“When my neighbor and all his guests were at the park for about fifteen minutes, someone entered his house and methodically went though all their backpacks, stealing money. My neighbor had, during that time, not locked the front door in case someone needed to go back. He figured an absence of such a short time did not warrant careful locking. But apparently this thief was closely watching, and precisely chose those fifteen minutes to enter. This happened about a month ago, I think. In a different incident, someone recently cut out and stole the catalytic converter from this same neighbor’s pickup truck. He had it parked in the driveway in front of his house. The thief managed to do this without waking him. About two weeks ago, I think he said.”

 

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7. Feedback Sought for 1/13 New Year’s Meeting with Reps of Whole Foods Market Plus January Announcement from Whole Foods

 

Editor’s note: As most of you know, a few members of our Steering Committee have been meeting several times a year with the Community Relations Liaison for Whole Foods Market to pass along neighbors’ concerns and track progress on a variety of issues. Please let us know if you have feedback — positive or negative — that you’d like us bring up at our meeting Thursday morning, 1/13, by emailing halcyon92@gmail.com by Wednesday night 1/12 (please indicate whether it’s okay to pass on your name and contact information or if you’d prefer to remain anonymous). In addition, I’d like to again thank Whole Foods Market for supporting our HNA work parties and special events in the park in past years with generous donations of food and beverages. We very much appreciate it! This is also a good time to point out progress made as a result of our past meetings to resolve issues of mutual concern. In particular, we’re thrilled that at long last that there’s a stop sign at the exit from the parking lot on Webster, which we hope will contribute to pedestrian safety, as well as a “No Smoking” sign along the Webster Street frontage. We look forward to continuing to work in the coming year to facilitate communication and resolve issues as they arise.

 

Announcement from Whole Foods Market

 

Every January we commit ourselves to try something new, to break a bad habit, or renew a commitment to staying healthy. To help in this noble endeavor Whole Foods Market has created all kinds of delicious recipes, the latest information on nutrition and special dietary needs, as well as some good old friendly encouragement. Be sure to ask the experts for motivation, information, and advice at our Health Starts Here Fair, Monday, January 24, 3:30-7:30 p.m. As we welcome 2011, we renew our pledge to serve the Berkeley community as we have for the last 20 years . . . in the best way we know how. Happy New Year!

 

Health Starts Here Fair

3:30-7:30 p.m.

Monday, January 24

Ask our vendors and in-house experts on cleansing, healthy diets, skin and body care, and all things health. Free samples and workshops. See store signage or our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/WFMBerkeley?v=app_4949752878) for more details.

 

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8. A Note to People with Dogs: Please Be Diligent about Picking Up after Them!

 

Editor’s note: A Halcyon neighbor recently approached me to voice his upset over the increasing incidence of poop in the park where children play as well as in the larger neighborhood. I invited him to write something for the E-News, but he hasn’t had a chance yet. When he does, I’ll publish it, but in the meantime it certainly won’t hurt to start getting the message out there that the problem of poop that hasn’t been picked up has been getting worse over the past year. Perhaps this is because not all dog guardians have adapted to the reduced availability of free plastic bags (not as many people subscribe to newspapers, and fewer papers come wrapped consistently in plastic, etc.). And there are likely going to be even fewer free plastic bags given environmental concerns. So it appears that we dog guardians need to add biodegradable bags to our list of dog food and other essential supplies for our dogs! A few neighbors try to stock free bags in the park when they’re able, but you can’t count on this (again, because they’re becoming harder to come by); the bags that are there are really there primarily for emergencies (we can all slip up from time to time). Many years ago, HNA experimented with stocking Mutt Mitts in the park, but the costs were prohibitive, especially since few folks chipped in. In addition to the observations made by my neighbor about the poop problem, I’ve also seen new notices in people’s yards reminding us to pick up after our dogs, and when I’m walking my dog I often find myself having to pick up after other people’s dogs. Come on, dog people! We have to do better! Please pick up after your dogs! That means no matter where they go — in the bushes, on the grass, in the park, on the sidewalk, in the gutter, etc. Let’s be good neighbors! And, remember, if your dog’s off leash, your responsibility just goes up to keep an eye on your dog and where your dog’s poop ends up. And perhaps we can all consider it good karma to pick up poop some of your neighbors (hopefully inadvertently) overlooked! I recognize I may be preaching to the choir here, and the human offenders may not be reading the E-News, so we may all need to give friendly reminders from time to time to those who don’t seem to fulfilling one of the most basic responsibilities of having a dog in an urban area. Thanks for listening!

 

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9. BORP Fitness Center Open House, Weds., Jan. 26, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

 

Editor’s note: The Ed Roberts Campus is open at last! The invitation below is from the BORP Fitness Center housed there.

 

Howdy Neighborhood Folks,

 

Please join us for the BORP Fitness Center Open House on Wed, January 26 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.. There will be refreshments and a raffle to win free classes. The grand prize winner will receive a 10 class pass! Instructors will also be present to answer any questions you have regarding the classes they teach. Everyone is welcome, and please pass the word that the BORP Fitness Center is open to the public and has some great classes and extraordinary instructors.

 

Thanks and I look forward to seeing you there!

 

Reba Knickerbocker, Fitness Coordinator

Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP)

3075 Adeline St. Suite 155, Berkeley, CA 94703

510-849-4663 x1319; reba@borp.org

http://www.borp.org

 

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10. Community Announcements: Woman Seeks Rental; Neighbors Seek Bicycle Tune-Up Person

 

Editor’s note: When space and scheduling permits, I’m happy to pass on one-time requests and announcements from neighbors. Here are a couple submitted this time.

 

Friend of Neighbor Seeks Rental

 

Single woman in early 40s seeks shared housing or cottage/in-law unit. Looking for a small community-minded household of 2-3 people with a quiet, drug-free, emotionally healthy environment. Laundry, private bathroom, and storage for several bikes preferred. Price range is $750-900/month. Please contact Susan, susanemily2010@gmail.com, 510-594-7704.  Thanks!

 

Neighbors Seek Bicycle Tune-Up Person

 

Hello Folks,

 

We recently bought a used bike. It works pretty well, but could use a tune-up (some gears rattle a little, chain could use oiling, brakes work, wheels seems fairly true). There used to be a guy who took his cart to the farmer's market and did a good job for a very reasonable price. Does anyone know how to contact

him or someone like him?  If so, please contact Neal and Dawn Trygstad Rubin, familyrubin@comcast.net, 510-843-3793.  Thanks!

 

Dawn & Neal

 

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11. UC Chancellor’s Community Partnership Grants: Pre-Applications Due Feb. 9; Community Info Meeting, Weds., Jan. 12

 

Editor’s note: HNA/Friends of Halcyon Commons is an affiliate group under the nonprofit umbrella of Berkeley Partners for Parks, whose Chair sent this note to remind us of the upcoming grant cycle for the UC Chancellor’s Community Partnership Grants. If any neighbors have a great idea for a project to improve the neighborhood, consider attending the meeting this Wednesday, and/or checking on the pre-application format the web link given. HNA Co-Chairs Nancy Carleton and John Steere (who together wrote HNA’s successful grant application for the Halcyon Commons Rejuvenation Project, which funded the archway at the park as well as improvements at the park’s south end a few years back) would be glad to provide advice and help with HNA and/or BPFP sponsorship if appropriate.

 

Hi BPFP Partners:

 

UC has just announced some major changes to the application process for this next round of UC Chancellor’s Grants. We in BPFP hope some of the projects this year are for improvements to our public green spaces in Berkeley and we would love to help anyone who has an idea for a project. Tell everyone you know.

 

Highlights are:

 

1. Community information meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 12, 5:30-7:30 at North Berkeley Senior Center

 

2. This year they have an initial "pre-application" phase, where a thumbnail outline of your proposed project is submitted (i.e. 250 words max for Project Summary, 250 words max for Partnership Summary). You do not necessarily have to have a commitment from your proposed UC partner at this stage.

 

3. Pre-applications are due Weds., Feb. 9.

 

4. From those pre-applications, they will select 20 or 25 projects and ask for full applications. They will also help with finding UC partners for those projects that need them.

 

5. Not all of those 20-25 projects who submit the full application will get grants.

 

For more info and to get the pre-application form, click on:

http://office.chancellor.berkeley.edu/gcr/ccpf.shtml

 

Thx.

Charlie

Charlie Bowen (Ms), Chair

Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP)

 

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12. Useful Emergency Preparedness Link: Video on Continuous Chest Compression CPR (a Simpler Alternative to Standard CPR)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcbgpiKyUbs&feature=player_embedded

 

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