Dear friends and neighbors, 

    Your safety and the safety of your children are my top priorities.  This past month I have spent a good deal of time focusing on traffic safety in neighborhoods throughout the Berkeley Hills, meeting with neighborhood groups and the engineers in the city's Transportation Department.  I receive reports of cars traveling at dangerous speeds on our major streets: Grizzly Peak Blvd., Euclid, Marin, Cedar, etc.

    For years, I have been trying to improve the perilous conditions around Cragmont School for children and parents who walk and bike to the school, with disappointing results.  Recently I discovered that a new state law allows local governments to limit speed to 15 mph in school zones.  As soon as I learned about this, I introduced an item to have the Transportation Commission evaluate the feasibility of implementing 15mph zones within 500 feet of all elementary schools in Berkeley.  I am hoping that we can all agree that the safety of our small children should be a top priority and that we should take advantage of this new legislation and implement 15 mph zones around elementary schools as soon as possible.

    Property crime has increased, and the hills continue to be a target of car break-ins, thefts, and residential burglaries.  Some of the crimes are very brazen, occurring in broad daylight.  This increase may be partly due to the early release of low-level offenders from state prisons.

    One step in response is to think about installing an alarm system in your home.  They have been shown to deter crime.  Before making your decision, you should understand how false alarms work in Berkeley.  I have included a fact sheet from the Berkeley Police Department.  Please be sure to keep windows and doors closed and locked when you leave your home.  And once again, if there is any opportunity to put your car in a garage, please do it.  This will keep your car and its contents safe, and predators will not be able to determine when you are at home and when you are away.

    With summer heat comes fire danger.  The debris bin and chipper program will be starting on June 10th, and will run until the fall.  Please check the schedule below, so that you can take advantage of this program to manage your vegetation growth and make your property safer. 

Best,

Susan 

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    Two years ago, Friends of the Fountain and Walk (FOFW) embarked upon a fundraising campaign to repair the deteriorating balusters at The Circle and along the Walk.  They are appealing to the community once again for assistance in completing the project.

    From Sara Holmes, the project organizer and chief volunteer in keeping The Circle green and working:

    Designed by UC Berkeley architect John Galen Howard and sculptor Arthur Putnam some 100 years ago, the Fountain proudly stands today as a Beaux Arts jewel that not only reflects Berkeley's architectural heritage, but also is an outstanding example of a privately funded public work of art.  With the generous help of people like you and the hard work of hundreds of volunteers, we have moved forward and formed a successful partnership with the City for its ongoing maintenance and repair.

    Currently, FOFW's fund-raising focus is the replacement of more than 75 damaged balusters around The Circle and along Fountain Walk.  Today we are approximately $20,000 short of our total project fundraising goal of $75,000.

    FOFW, a neighborhood 501 (c) 3, is asking for contributions in any amount so they can finish the job of restoring this historic and economically significant benefit to the Northeast Berkeley area.  For more information about the project and how you can participate and/or donate, go to Balustrade Repair Update, check out the FOFW letter to the community, or contact FOFW by email at:  [email protected].

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