Neighbors, join Halcyon Neighborhood Association’s Facebook group!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News 1/4/16

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

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.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Contents

1. Post-Holiday Neighborhood Progressive Potluck, Sunday, 1/24/16

2. Do Your Part: HNA’s Annual Fundraising Appeal!

3. Crime-Watch Update

4. Whole Foods Market News: Next Drop-in Progress Meeting Fri., 1/8/16, 8:15-8:45 a.m.

5. Getting Ready for El Niño

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

1. Post-Holiday Neighborhood Progressive Potluck, Sunday, 1/24/16

 

Editor’s note: This is traditionally one of the most popular events HNA sponsors. After the holiday rush and as the new year begins, here’s a chance to greet neighbors you already know and make some new friends. Many thanks to Michelle Thelen-Steere for filling in for potluck coordinator Tory Finn, who’s on sabbatical this year. And many thanks to the four hosting households who are making a wonderful evening possible!

 

Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck

Sunday, January 24, 2016, 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.

 

First Course: Appetizers, 5:30–6:15 p.m.

2141 Emerson St. (between Wheeler and Shattuck)

 

Second Course: Salads, 6:20–6:55 p.m.

Special note: Vegetarian only please!

3048 Deakin (between Prince and Webster)

 

Third Course: Main Dishes, 7:00–7:45 p.m.

3020 Wheeler St. (between Emerson and Ashby)

 

Fourth Course: Desserts, 7:50–8:45 p.m.

2329 Webster Street (two doors west of Whole Foods)

 

Potluck suggestions:

N-S: Appetizer * T-Z: Salad *A-G: Main Dish * H-M: 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). Supervised children welcome. If not obvious, kindly attach a label with ingredients for your dish to alert those with vegetarian and other diets (and for Salads please ONLY bring vegetarian offerings). 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, if you haven’t already donated this year, PLEASE bring along a check or cash contribution to HNA of whatever size (no amount is too small or large — see item 2; your contribution will help us upgrade our neighborhood disaster supply cache, fund special 20th anniversary projects in Halcyon Commons, and continue to duplicate flyers in 2016)!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

2. Do Your Part: HNA’s Annual Fundraising Appeal!

 

Editor’s note: Your contributions are crucial to realizing HNA’s 2016 priorities! Please give generously.

 

HNA doesn’t have a formal membership structure or require annual dues because we wanted to keep participation as broad as possible. At the same time, we incur various expenses during the course of a year, including:

            * Flyer production

            * Supplies for disaster preparedness drills and other special events in park

            * Supplies for work parties

            * In-fill and replacement plants for Halcyon Commons and nearby landscaped features

            * Graffiti removal supplies (to supplement what the City provides)

 

And in 2016 we have some special, one-time projects that require financial support:

            * Small refurbishing projects in Halcyon Commons as part of the park’s 20th anniversary in 2016

            * Installation of Halcyon bird sculpture by local artist Nina Lyons (who lives on Prince Street); already approved by two commissions and the City Council, the sculpture is scheduled to be installed in time for the park’s 20th anniversary in mid-2016. All funds have been raised for the sculpture itself (thank you, neighbors, for your strong support at last summer’s fundraiser!), but we still need to raise a bit more for the installation supplies and final steps in the process.

            * We’re planning a gala celebration for the 20th anniversary of the park in September 2016; although most supplies will be donated, there will be some incidental costs, such as special features for kids to make the event more fun for all ages.

 

We also use the funds we raise to enable us to enhance the supplies in our neighborhood disaster preparedness supply shed (these items are intended to benefit the entire neighborhood in the event of disaster and include first aid, search & rescue, and communications tools plus items for command center setup in Halcyon Commons park; they are not intended to substitute for individual household preparedness, but they will help us save lives and minimize disruption after a large earthquake).

 

We’re asking neighbors who appreciate all that HNA does to improve and beautify our neighborhood, to keep us safer (on both crime-watch and disaster-prep levels), and to facilitate communication and help create a more convivial place to live to give generously this year, and do your part.

 

There are three ways you can respond to this appeal:

 

(1) Make a financial contribution directly to HNA (not tax-deductible, but allows us maximum flexibility) by writing a check made out to “HNA” and mailing or dropping it off in an envelope to HNA Treasurer Susan Hunter, 3044 Halcyon Court, Berkeley, CA 94705.

 

(2) Give to HNA online! Go to https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QSESRB6FZAX3C to make your contribution. (Again, contributions to HNA aren’t tax-deductible but allow us maximum flexibility.) PayPal keeps a fee of approximately 3 percent.

 

(3) Make a tax-deductible financial contribution by writing a check made out to “Berkeley Partners for Parks” (BPFP, our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, which charges a 7 percent overhead fee), earmarked Halcyon, and mailing or dropping it off in an envelope to HNA Treasurer Susan Hunter, 3044 Halcyon Court, Berkeley, CA 94705.

 

No contribution is too small (or too large!). Our neighborhood association’s health and vitality depend on your ongoing support! And in the event of a big earthquake, some of our lives may very well depend upon it. Please pitch in!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

3. Crime-Watch Update

 

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 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 don’t want to engage in profiling, so if you include a description, please make it as detailed as possible and avoid generalities.

 

The following was shared on Nextdoor Bordertown on December 20:

 

“Walking on the 6600 block of Tremont this morning just before 10, someone stopped a shiny silver car in the middle of the street, to run up behind me and steal my bag and back to the car and took off going towards Berkeley turning right onto Woolsey. The plates were 7N???808. . . . The bag was a hand-me down Provence design of printed, yellow quilted cotton with my purple batik sarong, orange flip flops, and dirty underwear. I warned him it wasn't worth stealing.”

 

[Editor’s note: The good news is that another neighbor on Nextdoor found the bag on King Street and returned it to the neighbor. But the caution applies, especially since this happened on the edge of our neighborhood.]

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

4. Whole Foods Market News: Next Drop-in Progress Meeting Fri., 1/8/16, 8:15-8:45 a.m.

 

Editor’s note: News from Whole Foods Market courtesy of Store Team Leader Melody Mestermacher.

 

You may have heard that our Community Relations/Marketing structure has changed and while Ruby Beaupre will continue to partner with our store for donation and events needs from her new East Bay Metro position, Carlisle Crumley (an Associate Store Team Leader) and I will be your primary points of contact for the store and neighborhood needs. As always please let me know as things come up.

 

Next Drop-in Progress Meeting, Friday, January 8, 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. 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 you’d like to have a word with us.

Melody.Mestemacher@wholefoods.com

Carlisle.Crumley@wholefoods.com

Ross.Burgstead@wholefoods.com

Jack.Douglas@wholefoods.com

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

5. Getting Ready for El Niño

 

Editor’s note: The City of Berkeley is being proactive about possible El Niño complications. Here’s one note I received (the links embedded in this announcement don’t come through so you'll have to follow the master link to find them).

 

WITH EL NIÑO RAINS COMING, PREPARE

http://cityofberkeley.info/City_Manager/Press_Releases/2015/2016-12-16_With_El_Nino_Rains_Coming,_Prepare.aspx

 

Berkeley, California (Wednesday, December 16, 2015)

 

With El Niño storms expected to bring a barrage of rains and heavy winds this winter, the City of Berkeley has been preparing. So should you.

 

* Clean on and around your property as needed: gutters, rain downspouts, driveways, culverts, trash and debris around fences and gardens, and clear basement drains.
* Check submersible pumps and sump pumps to make sure they are operating properly.
* Ensure you have flashlights or portable lamps and batteries on hand in case of a power failure.
* Berkeley residents with identification can pick up sand bags at the City Corporation Yard on 1326 Allston Way, Mon - Fri, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents must show I.D.

 

For further guidance on how to prepare, the City's Community Emergency Response Team has prepared guides on how to prepare for your pets’ safety, power outages, as well as a guide for floods and landslides.

 

Public Works staff will be working throughout heavy storms, day and night. City staff will be available to deal with downed trees or flooding affecting local homes, businesses or streets. In an emergency, they can be reached by dialing 311 on a mobile phone or landline. If outside the city, call 981-2489. Crews will be dispatched and respond as quickly as possible.

 

If you see damaged power lines or electrical equipment, call 911 immediately and then notify PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.

 

If you experience an outage, PG&E advises people to unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.

 

The City works year round to mitigate the impacts of the rainy season, such as Public Works’ ongoing maintenance of approximately 7,000 storm drains, including inspections, cleanout, and repair. The department prepares for winter rains by having “all storm days” that remove leaves by hand and with mechanical sweepers and cleans storm drains, culverts and trash rack cleaning.

 

The City has also installed a number of green infrastructure projects, which temper storm water to reduce flooding while also reducing pollutants or beautifying neighborhoods.

 

The City’s Forestry Division prunes trees throughout the year to prepare to keep them healthy, which is critical for events like the coming storm.

 

Editor’s note: See also http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Public_Works/Sewers_-_Storm/Adopt-a-Drain_Program.aspx for information on the City’s Adopt-a-Drain Program.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *