A lawsuit by the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency seeking reimbursement of $855,000 it spent to remove toxic and other waste from 1.6 acres of land will go to trial in June.
The 3-toilet turmoil in South Arcadia has become a battle of constitutional proportions. The lawsuit alleges that El Monte is attempting to extort land use concessions from Arcadia.
The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency has filed a suit against the Clifford C. Bong & Co., a former owner of the 1.6 acre redevelopment site on Huntington Drive. The ARA hopes to recover the $855,000 spent on removal of toxic waste and other debris.
The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency won a $495,000 settlement for removing toxic waste from 1.6 acres of downtown Arcadia land it bought from Clifford C. Bong and Co. last year. The agency sued Bong in April of 1988 to recover the money it spent to dispose of soil contaminated with high levels of lead, cadmium and hydrocarbon wastes. The agreement was reached two days before the June 27 trial was to begin.
Both the Board of Education and the City Council have denied $1.5 million in claims against them filed by Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. O'Brien, parents of Timothy Sean O'Brien who was struck and killed by an automobile as he was crossing Campus Drive last November 6th.
El Monte city attorney, Sidney Maleck, who was just appointed to a municipal judgeship in Orange County thinks "it would be foolish to continue with the lawsuits" against Arcadia over a public storage facility. Arcadia city attorney, Michael Miller, however, says these conciliatory words need to be backed up with actions.