National Night Out blowout

It's time for a party! Mark August 4th, Tuesday, 7 - 9pm, for National Night Out. Merritt and Capital plus anyone else in the surrounding area are invited to join the annual celebration. We will meet at the top where Merritt meets Capital. That traffic circle with trees is the landmark. Same place as last year. Bring yourselves, your significant others, young and old. Contribute food or beverage or flowers or music. We have enjoyed an antique car. We always enjoy each other.

Barbara Newcombe and Kathy Lewis are the organizers (as of the moment). Barbara (barbaranewcombe@sbcglobal.net or 763-4406) abd Kathy (katlewis@hotmail.com or 832-0480). Watch for updates.

Barbara

2009 Earth Day at the Cleveland Cascade!

EARTHDAY 2009

As always, Cleveland Cascade park will take part in '09 Earthday on Saturday, April 18th, 9am till noon. For the first time since 2003 when cleanup work started at the Cascade, chores will not have to include a massive project. Now we can focus on simple maintenance such as pruning, trimming, sweeping and some planting. If you have plants, especially herbal or edible, bring them for the fish pool potted garden.

Are you are bored with the Cascade? There are seven much larger parks that are in drastic need of help. Although we think the Cascade deserves attention, it is in much better shape than Redondo Park, Morcom Rose Garden, Sausal Creek and others. Visit www.oaklandearthday.com or call 510-238-7611 for more details.

Emergency Preparedness Workshops in March 2009

March Neighborhood Trainings and April Citywide Exercise

Prepare to help yourself, your family and your neighbors.

• Do you know what to do in the event of an earthquake, fire, or other emergency?
• Can you and your family be on your own for five to seven days after a major emergency?
• Do you have emergency supplies stored in your home, office or car?

Free training classes
At the Bellevue Club, 525 Bellevue Avenue
near the bird feeding area in Lakeside Park
sponsored by Oakland Fire Department’s CORE Program
COMMUNITIES in OAKLAND RESPOND to EMERGENCIES

CORE I Home and Family Preparedness
Monday March 9, 6:30 to 9:00 PM

Learn:
• How to reduce common household hazards & create a family emergency and evacuation plan
• What to include in Emergency Supply Kits
• What to do after a major earthquake, fire, chemical spill or severe storm

CORE II Neighborhood Preparedness and Response
Monday March 16, 6:30 to 9:00 PM

Learn how to:
• Organize our neighborhood to respond to emergencies
• Set up a neighborhood emergency operations center and emergency response teams

Citywide Emergency Response Exercise
Saturday April 25, 9 to 11:30 AM

Apply what we’ve learned & join other Oaklanders participating in this annual mock emergency.

RSVP dbolas42@att.net

More information at www.oaklandcore.org or 510.238.6351

Neighborhood Watch Trainings!

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Free one-hour training sessions hosted by
the Oakland Police Department’s Titus Taylor
at

LEANING TOWER PIZZA
498 Wesley at Newton

HOME & FAMILY SECURITY
BURGLARY PREVENTION
Wednesday Jan. 14, 2009, 6:30 PM

PERSONAL SAFETY
ROBBERY PREVENTION
Wednesday Jan. 21, 6:30 PM


SAVE THE DATE
SIGN UP!

These sessions are free; we're asking for reservations
in order to gauge the class size.
RSVP to dbolas42@att.net

You can help plant daffodils at the Cleveland Cascade!

Join us this Saturday, November 8, from 9 AM till noon, for our third annual daffodil planting at the Cleveland Cascade! We have 200 bulbs that "Keep Oakland Beautiful" gave us. Recent rains have softened the hard clayey soil, aka Cascade concrete, so it'll be much easier to get those little bundles of future yellow bloom into the ground. Some bulbs can go into steep sections flanking the old waterfall. About 20 will go into a bare section near Lakeshore Avenue, north of the large circular exercise space.

The Cascade is an integral part of our neighborhood, and improvements to it can have an amazing widespread effect. A more beautiful Cascade encourages people to treat the park as an extension of their home. And that is exactly what it is for all of us. We welcome you to join us at the Cleveland Cascade Saturday from 9 am to noon. If you have a trowel, bring that. We will have a small supply of trowels, one pickax, plastic gloves and lots of food and drink.

Barbara and David

2008 national night out!

Dear Neighbors,

please join us for the 2008 national night out!

Tuesday, August 5, 7-9 pm
at the tree/traffic circle - summit of Merritt Avenue
Sponsored by Merritt & Capital Street Block Clubs

A nation-wide party to take back our streets,
get to know each other & share community for fun and mutual aid.

Bring an offering of food, beverage, balloons and whatever else you want to share, e.g., an ad for your new business venture, your latest musical creation. Get to know your neighbors!

We can use help setting up. To volunteer or for details:

Barbara Newcombe at 752-4406 [upper Merritt] barbaranewcombe (at) sbcglobal.net
David Bolaños at 465-3796 [Lower Merritt] dbolas42 (at) att.net

See you there!
~m

next steps

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking through the notes from the meeting on the 23rd, and want to give you all a sense of the next steps for our Block Club. This is directly thanks to Hoang Banh's Robbery Prevention Block Group Action Plan.

1. Crime Prevention training. We will be contacting Brenda Ivey, the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator.

2. We designated a resident liaison to the OPD Criminal Investigations Division.

3. We have a volunteer to communicate with the police about long-term problems.

4. We have three volunteers to walk the streets to check for dim or non-functioning street lighting, as well as to check for fire hydrants on the street.

I will be contacting the folks who volunteered for these positions.

Thanks again to all the police and to all the citizens who showed up to the meeting. Much was discussed, and I think it was very valuable.