The City of Arcadia and Arcadia City Council are working on plans for a new civic center and multipurpose facility that would be located next to City Hall and the newly constructed police station. The project would use money from the capital construction fund and is not part of the city's general fund.
City Council members objected to the time it will take to complete plans for a new police station (7 months), but nevertheless approved a design agreement with the architect, Wendell Mounce and Associates.
City Manager Bill Kelly outlined a $16 million program to finish all public building projects for Arcadia in three years, as part of the city's five-year capital budget. The spending would include a new $6.5 million City Hall, a $1.3 million upgrade to Fire Station 106 on Baldwin Avenue. The city plans to build a new fire station to replace Fire Station 105 on Santa Anita Avenue. A city gym for the civic center property is in planning stages. The city plans to re-roof the community center for $150,000 and to put up 1/2 of the $800,000 cost to make the high school sports field an all-weather facility.
Architectural drawings and the design for the new Arcadia City Hall have drawn criticism from the City Council. The new City Hall building is estimated to cost $11 million.
Tonight Arcadia City Council will explore building a new $12 million City Hall after the proposal was shelved in 2009 for financial reasons. The existing City Hall is undergoing a $2.3 million renovation and remodeling that includes a new heating and air conditioning system, energy efficient windows, new wiring, carpeting and painting. If Council moves forward with new building, the existing one could be used as a community center.
Construction has started on the expansion of the Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita. There will be two parking structures to replace current surface parking, 104,400 square feet of retail space, 18,400 square feet of restaurants, a 7,800 square foot food court, 45,000 square feet of specialty stores, 54,300 square feet of movie theaters, and a 5,400 square foot auto center. The tenant list includes an AMC theater, Borders bookstore, and a Sports Chalet. The expansion is scheduled to be completed September 2004. City manager Bill Kelly said Arcadia will proceed to expand Fire Station 105 to serve as the new fire department headquarters and will rebuild Station 106. The city is considering building a new City Hall and youth center from city revenues from Santa Anita Park. The new police station, the first city facility partly financed through bonds, will be open this fall. A $1/2 million project to remodel City Council Chambers is finally complete, with the opening of the council conference room.
The City Council approved a $3.4 million new fire station project bid by Merco Construction Engineers in Camarillo. The building will cost 20% more than originally estimated.
After presentations by 3 architectural firms Tuesday night, the Arcadia City Council voted 4-1 to ask one of the companies back for further discussion on doing a master plan for the city's proposed civic center project. The proposed center would probably be located on the Huntington Drive median where the city hall and police station are now located. Mayor David Hannah indicated that this could be a long-term project, perhaps lasting as long as 20 years.
The City of Arcadia has contracted with Gonzalez Goodale Architects to plan for a new City Hall. Both Upper and Lower City Hall buildings will be torn down after completion of the new facility.
Arcadia City Council has gone on record as supporting the building of a new city hall that would be built on the other side of the Civic Center property. Out of three options presented by city manager Bill Kelly, the council consensus was for a new building at a cost of $6.6 million and adjacent to Huntington Drive West.
Arcadia could build a multi-purpose Senior Citizen Center for $1.5 million plus the cost of the property, according to a report submitted to the City Council by Warren Shaw, chairman of the Arcadia Senior Citizen's Commission. The report indicated that most of the money would come from state and federal sources, but that Arcadia would need to chip in at least $225,000 of matching funds. The center is necessary, Shaw said, due to a current lack of senior citizen facilities.
Within the next few months several new developments will be cropping up along Huntington Drive: construction of a 7-story office building at 1st Avenue, erection of the Southland National Bank at 5th Avenue, and construction of a Target Department Store at 3rd Avenue. There are also plans to construct a new police station, city hall, senior citizens center and auditorium at a total estimated cost of $19 million.
Exterior view of the brand new City of Arcadia Community Center, and its sign reading "City of Arcadia Community Center, Recreation Department, Historical Museum, Senior Services." Community Center is at 365 Campus Drive.
The city council has decided to appropriate $35,000 toward the design of a light rail bridge over Santa Anita Avenue. This is to pay for early design work needed for an environmental impact report. The bridge project is expected to cost the city $10.7 million which may come from a bond. The Construction Authority would pay $18.4 million bringing total bridge cost to $29.1 million.
Exterior view of the front of brand new City of Arcadia Community Center. The large covered area in the front is a passenger drop-off point. Community Center is at 365 Campus Drive.
Exterior view of the back of the brand new City of Arcadia Community Center. Barely visible on the ground, in the foreground, are painted outdoor shuffleboard courts. Community Center is at 365 Campus Drive.
Exterior view of the back of brand new City of Arcadia Community Center. The middle grassy area is the future location of the Hugo Reid and Family statue. Community Center is at 365 Campus Drive.
