Halcyon Neighborhood Association • Berkeley, CA | |
Halcyon Neighborhood Association |
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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News September 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. Halcyon Thrive Project Launch!
2. Disaster Preparedness Update from the HNA
CERT Group
3. Update on HNA Co-Chair John Steere
EditorÕs Introductory Note:
This is a good time to join our Halcyon Thrive community of neighbors (see item 1), as the pilot project officially launches with three upcoming events. In addition, our neighborhood disaster preparedness team continues to move forward after having put on an amazing event on August 26 (see item 2).
Finally, I know many of you will join me in sending well wishes for a complete recovery to HNA Co-Chair John Steere, who experienced a severe illness with strokelike effects in August (see item 3). When John returns home, I hope weÕll continue to show him the neighborly support he so richly deserves after twenty-five years of generously donating his time, energy, and loving care to stewardship of the Halcyon neighborhood.
Yours in community,
—Nancy Carleton, HNA Co-Chair and E-News Editor, halcyon92@gmail.com
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1. Halcyon Thrive Project
Launch!
EditorÕs note: If youÕve been intrigued by the idea of Halcyon Thrive or are just now learning about it, donÕt delay in signing up to be part of our one-year pilot project, or youÕll miss out on a chance to participate in the first three of our Halcyon Thrive events. These events are intended to help nurture the just-launched Halcyon Thrive community, whose members will be first in line for signups (hosts may occasionally list events on the HNA Facebook page as well if spaces are still available closer to a particular event). Email HalcyonThrive@gmail.com with your address, phone, and email, and weÕll add you to our Halcyon Thrive Google group, a place where any member can suggest shared activities, either on a one-time basis, or as an ongoing project. All activities are opt-in (no obligation), and a digest option from the Google group means you can keep emails to no more than one a day. Join us!
HALCYON
THRIVE!
A pilot project of Halcyon Neighborhood Association for Halcyon neighbors willing to take the next step in mutual support . . .
The goal of this one-year pilot project is to explore ways to offer some of the beneficial services and resources of a multigenerational Ashby Village–type program on an opt-in, voluntary basis without monetary exchange. At an initial Planning Circle for Halcyon Thrive, neighbors brainstormed possibilities for shared activities and ways of offering support to one another. Upcoming events connected with the first three active ÒspokesÓ of what weÕre envisioning as the Halcyon Thrive circle or wheel include:
* A monthly ÒconversationsÓ program at neighborsÕ homes sharing areas of interest and knowledge while getting to know one another better. Envisioned as an occasional, planned event hosted in the home of a Halcyon neighborhood resident, ÒconversationsÓ will have its first gathering on Tuesday, September 26th in the early evening (7-8:30 p.m.) and will feature a talk about and display of Indonesian art and textiles. This initial event is designed to promote an exchange among participants requiring nothing but an interest in the topic. Other ÒconversationsÓ are being planned throughout the Fall and will include gatherings focused on ecological education, and issues concerning private and public resources and responsibility. Due to space limitations, reservations are required.
* The ÒArt in CommunityÓ spoke of Halcyon Thrive will hold its first get-together on Sunday, October 15, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. WeÕre looking for a few folks, ages 10 and older, who would enjoy making art together while getting to know their neighbors. The first get-together will be a one-shot project, no cost, and no supplies or experience needed. If youÕre interested in having creative fun while meeting your neighbors on a Sunday morning, join Halcyon Thrive and stay tuned for the project details.
* A kickoff social gathering for all Halcyon Thrive members who wish to attend will take place on Sunday, October 1, at a late-afternoon deck and yard party with appetizers and desserts catered by a Halcyon Thrive member whoÕs a chef. Join Halcyon Thrive to receive an invitation!
* A Halcyon Thrive Caring Circle providing opportunities for participating neighbors to ask for and offer support to one another by listing needs and signing up to meet them so we can better Òthrive-in-placeÓ (committee work in progress, likely to be hosted on the Lotsa Helping Hands site by the beginning of October).
If you live in the Halcyon neighborhood (Telegraph to Adeline, Ashby to Woolsey, in South Berkeley) and want to be part of the Halcyon Thrive pilot project, including the Halcyon Thrive Caring Circle, please email your name, address, phone, and email to HalcyonThrive@gmail.com.
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2. Disaster Preparedness Update
from the HNA CERT Group
EditorÕs note: HereÕs an update from Bill Swartz with the HNA CERT group.
The HNA CERT groupÕs annual neighborhood disaster preparedness event held this year on Saturday, August 26 was a great success. The theme of the event was Applicability and Education, and the focus was on giving attendees skills and tools they could apply use in the event of an emergency with as much hands-on learning as possible. Classes, followed by practice sessions, included a tutorial on using tourniquets and pressure bandages to stop life-threatening bleeding and pet CPR. Our stations included Off the Grid, a chance to learn how and when to shut off the gas, Home Readiness, Family Alert Planning, and Incident Command, an introduction to CERT. With the generosity of CBCB, we were also able to give out a large number of trauma kits and gas shut-off wrenches. Please see https://hnacert.wordpress.com/disaster-be-ready-event-report/ for pictures and details. Many thanks to all the volunteers and presenters who made this event possible, as well as to Whole Foods Market, CBCB, and Starbucks for their generous donations.
But successful though the event was, we arenÕt immune from the kind of disaster Houston is just starting to recover from and Hurricane Irma brought to other parts of the country. We need your help. Seriously. You donÕt need special skills, just an interest in helping and a willingness to learn. The next CERT meeting is planned for 9/28 (details to follow). Please come, and learn how you can join us. For more information see https://hnacert.wordpress.com/ or write us at hnacert@gmail.com. And if you live in the Halcyon neighborhood (Telegraph to Adeline, Ashby to Woolsey in South Berkeley), also register yourself and your household at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSctg2bGtto3DQXtiiTnb8AwzZO2xrhbdaYeAXo1WyyXKf5ocg/viewform so in the event of a disaster we know where to find you and of any special needs.
Finally, if you received a trauma kit at the 8/26 event, weÕre upgrading the tourniquets. Please come to the 9/28 meeting to get your new tourniquet or ping hnacert@gmail.com. Depending on the level of interest, we may distribute the upgrades on a Saturday in Halcyon Commons, or work something else out.
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3. Update
on HNA Co-Chair John Steere
EditorÕs note: Many neighbors have already heard about HNA Co-Chair John SteereÕs sudden illness. For those of you who havenÕt, while visiting with his wife Michelle in Mt. Shasta, on his way to view the total eclipse in Oregon, John was rushed to the ER with a fever of 104. Speedy administration of antibiotics saved his life, but he experienced strokelike effects from what was diagnosed as meningo-encephalitis of unknown cause. When he wasnÕt getting better at the small rural hospital, he was medevacked to Alta Bates Medical Center, where he spent a couple of weeks in critical care. When his illness continued to stump the medical team there, they recommended a transfer to Stanford Hospital, where a team including infectious disease experts continued to run tests to try to figure out what was going on. While they still havenÕt been able to track down the cause (itÕs a bit of a medical mystery at this point), the good news is that the triple antibiotic IV JohnÕs been receiving for the past month have had a positive effect and the infection is clearing up. Almost a week ago, Stanford released John into the care of his nurse practitioner sister in Martinez, who is kindly housing him and Michelle during the next phase of JohnÕs recovery, which includes regular rehab appointments of various kinds. Hopefully, by the time he completes the course of IV antibiotics, heÕll be able to move back into his house in the Halcyon neighborhood with Michelle, where he can continue his recovery. John has made tremendous progress in the month since this illness began, and while he has a journey of rehabilitation ahead of him, he is optimistic about full recovery.
Well wishes from neighbors, family, and friends have meant a great deal to John, and we recently presented him with a card/booklet signed by dozens of neighbors. If youÕd like to be part of John SteereÕs Support Team at Lotsa Helping Hands -- which provides updates on JohnÕs progress, a place to leave well wishes, and, when the need arises, the means to list volunteer needs to help support John and Michelle -- please join us at https://my.lotsahelpinghands.com/community/john-steere-support-team/home
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For
Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2017
Dates set as of March 8, 2017
(verify before event by checking current HNA E-News)
Sunday, January 29, 2017 |
5:30-8:45 p.m. |
Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck (four
courses at four households: see E-News for addresses).
|
Mar. 15, 2017 |
7:30-9:00 p.m. |
HNA Steering Committee Meeting to track
progress & plan for second half of 2017, Webster
Street (email halcyon92@gmail.com for address) |
Saturday, March 18 2017 |
9:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m. |
Work Party in Halcyon Commons &
Surrounding Neighborhood with Cal students from
Berkeley Project, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince).
|
Saturday, June 3, 2017 |
9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. |
Work Party in Halcyon Commons &
surrounding neighborhood, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at
Prince). |
Wednesday, (season & date TBD) |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
Neighborhood Watch Plus Community meeting
(Crime Watch focus, Neighborhood Brainstorming re
projects, with brief Disaster Prep segment), Location
TBD (hopefully Chochmat HaLev) |
Sunday, (spring or summer date TBD), 2017 |
4:00-6:00 p.m. |
Halcyon Thrive-in-Place Subcommittee
meeting, location TBD. |
Friday, July 28, 2017 |
4:00-6:30 p.m. |
Mini Work Party in Halcyon Commons
(Halcyon at Prince). |
Tuesday, August 1, 2017 |
6:30- |
National Night Out Against Crime: Ice
Cream Social in the Park! |
Saturday, (season & date TBD) |
9:00-10:30 a.m. |
Halcyon Disaster Prep event, Emphasis TBD
(placeholder: either coordinate date with city or plan
independently for HNA?) |
Saturday, October X, 2017 (date TBD by
Berkeley Project) |
9:30 a.m.- |
Big Mulching Work Party & Graffiti
Removal in surrounding neighborhood with Cal students
from Berkeley Project, Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at
Prince). |
Tuesday, October 31, 2017 |
6:00-6:30ish p.m. |
Costume Parade around Park for Kids,
Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince). Need neighbor to
volunteer as lead! |
Sunday, December 3, 2017 |
5:00-6:30 p.m. |
HNA Steering Committee Meeting to set
dates for 2018, Webster Street (email
halcyon92@gmail.com for address.) |
Sunday, January 21 OR 28?, 2018 |
5:30 - |
Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck (four
courses at four households: see E-News for addresses
TBD). |
*HNA’s Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List
HNA’s Halcyon Commons Disaster Prep Supply Cache contains items
intended to benefit the entire neighborhood in the event of
disaster (primarily first aid, search & rescue, and
communications supplies plus items for command center setup in
Halcyon Commons). You can help us have what we need on hand in two
ways: (1) Make a financial contribution for purchasing additional
supplies to HNA (not tax deductible) or to Berkeley Partners for
Parks, earmarked Halcyon (BPFP
is our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, so a check through them is tax
deductible); mail or drop off your check to HNA Treasurer Susan
Hunter, 3044 Halcyon Court, Berkeley, CA 94705. (2) Contribute any
of the following items in-kind (supplies MUST be new or in
EXCELLENT condition):
Police Emergency Number:
911 (from landline);
981-5911(from cell; preprogram with this number to reach Berkeley
emergency from a cell)
Police Nonemergency Number: 981-5900
Link to beat maps and a list of beat officers:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/0b15b20282
In the Halcyon neighborhood: west of Fulton is Beat 10; east of Fulton is Beat 9.
Link to crime stats, Berkeley:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/42f61d76dd
Link to police bulletins:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/d1559b4b0f
Other City of Berkeley Departments:
City Manager’s Office: Jim Hynes jhynes@ci.berkeley.ca.us 981-2493
Nonemergency Call Center for Public Services:
Dial 311 (you will be
directed to the appropriate department) to report problems with
street
lights (get the tag number off the pole), blocked storm drains,
tree
branches down, etc.
Public Works Customer Service: 981-6620
(streets, sidewalks, graffiti,
sewers, litter, storm drains, street lights)
Tree Trimming/Planting (Forestry)/Parks: 981-6660
Written Communication with City Council
To comment to the City Council, use following email addresses:
“City Clerk” clerk@ci.berkeley.ca.us,
“Mayor Tom Bates” Mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us,
“Councilmember Linda Maio” LMaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us,
“Councilmember Darryl Moore” DMoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us,
“Councilmember Max Anderson” MAnderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us,
“Councilmember Jesse Arreguin” JArreguin@ci.berkeley.ca.us,
“Councilmember Laurie Capitelli” LCapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us,
“Councilmember Susan Wengraf” SWengraf@ci.berkeley.ca.us,
“Councilmember Kriss Worthington” KWorthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us,
“Councilmember Gordon Wozniak” GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Representatives for Our Neighborhood
Councilmember Max Anderson (District 3) 981-7130
MAnderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us
West side of Wheeler Street to the west (except for Woolsey
between
Wheeler and Shattuck)
Councilmember Kriss Worthington (District 7) 981-7170
KWorthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us
East side of Wheeler to the east (includes block of Woolsey from
Wheeler to Shattuck)
Mayor Tom Bates 981-7100 Mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Zoning Adjustments Board
To comment to the Zoning Adjustments Board regarding projects on
their calendar, email:
Zoning Adjustments Board zab@ci.berkeley.ca.us
(It’s best if at all possible to submit your comments 10 days
prior to meeting for inclusion in the advance packet to board
members, but late submissions will be distributed the evening of
the meeting.)
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 HNA’s primary goals and guiding principles.
The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News: The HNA E-News forwards items of general interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley (HNA’s borders), including announcements about community-building potlucks, greening projects, crime watch, disaster preparedness, and work parties in Halcyon Commons park. If you’re receiving this email, you probably either signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor forwarded it to you. Please note that to prevent spam, HNA does not share your email address with third parties. If you wish to be removed from this list, please contact HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton/Halcyon Neighborhood Association at halcyon92@gmail.com. Feel free to pass the HNA E-News on to other neighbors you think might be interested.
To submit items for the newsletter: Email brief, unformatted
content or links (no graphics or attachments please!) to HNA
E-News Editor Nancy Carleton at halcyon92@gmail.com. Crime-watch
reports and news about neighbors (births, new jobs, announcements
about home businesses or creative projects) are especially
welcome. Please note that due to the volunteer nature of the
endeavor, the E-News does not include “letters to the editor” or
“commentary,” but will gladly include links to such items written
by neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area and
published elsewhere (the
Berkeley Daily Planet has a large section devoted to opinion).
Also, please note that the E-News is typically published the
second week of each month; submit your item early if it relates to
a future event, and there’s a greater chance it will be included.
HNA Halcyon Safety Walk & Neighborhood Watch Listserv: For those interested in getting breaking crime-watch news, discussing ways to make our neighborhood safer, and perhaps participating in night-time and daytime safety “dog” walks (dogs not required!) to build community and serve as eyes on the street, please contact halcyon92@gmail.com indicating your interest in this listserv, and you’ll receive an invitation to join. For everyone’s safety, be sure to include your full name, address, email, and phone.
HNA Disaster Preparedness Listserv: If you’re interested in helping out with neighborhood disaster preparedness, please contact halcyon92@gmail.com indicating your interest, and you’ll receive an invitation to join. For everyone’s safety, be sure to include your full name, address, email, and phone.
HNA Steering Committee Listserv: If you’re interested in serving on HNA’s Steering Committee in alignment with HNA’s Guiding Principles, email halcyon92@gmail.com to indicate your interest. The Steering Committee conducts most of its business via listserv (with one or two in-person meetings annually); members agree to assist with at least one or two HNA events during the course of the year and to answer Yahoo group polls to aid in planning.
Halcyon Neighborhood Association Facebook Group: Our HNA Facebook group (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/36acb93edf/gid=292160762499) gives neighbors fresh opportunities to network, build community, and share ideas about issues of mutual concern. Open to immediate neighbors, friends from nearby neighborhoods, and former neighbors who want to stay in touch.
HNA Blog: If you would like to view previous newsletters online (and comment via a blog format, though this is a low activity blog), please visit http://cts.vresp.com/c/?BerkeleyPartnersforP/602147a249/9a00c7ec5d/8af94d44a8.
HNA is an adopt-a-park affiliate with the nonprofit Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP). Thanks to VerticalResponse for the donation of email services for sending the HNA E-News!