Arcadia City Council has approved a list of a dozen projects to lobby for with the federal government. The projects will be pursued by city lobbyist, the Ferguson Group, by Mayor Mickey Segal, and a representative from Sierra Madre, as they try to coordinate lobbying efforts in Washington DC. On the list is a $20 million request jointly with Sierra Madre, for continuing programs to ensure safety of the water supply in case of seismic problems.
City of Arcadia renews a contract with lobbyists, The Ferguson Group, for national legislative advocacy representation. The contract is $65,000 annually for unlimited service each month.
Arcadia and Sierra Madre's water supply to benefit from $1.8 million federal grant. Arcadia will get $900,000 of the grant. This will fund the next phase of an on-going, 5-year program to ensure emergency water for its citizens, following any potential seismic activity.
Cities of Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, and Monrovia are seeking funding for fire training from the federal government (FEMA). They want to establish a training facility on federal property in Arcadia near the 210 Freeway and Santa Anita Avenue.
Chantry Flat Road, also known as Santa Anita Canyon Road, will reopen to the public on Wednesday, April 16, despite unfinished repairs. Fire in the Santa Anita Canyon had forced a 6-month closure of the road.
The Library Board of Trustees voted to post a PATRIOT Act notice, as required by the act. The notice reads, "Although the Arcadia Public Library makes every reasonable effort to protect your privacy, under the federal USA PATRIOT Act (PL107-56), records of the books and other materials you currently have on loan from this library, your inter-library loan requests placed during the past year, or the Internet sites and e-mails that you access through our computers may be obtained by federal agents. That federal law prohibits library workers from informing you if federal agents have asked about or obtained your records.
The Arcadia Board of Education approved a Local Agency Education plan to bring the district into compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind program, which requires that students meet state proficiency standards by 2013-2014. For California, the standard is 100% graduation with all requirements for University of California admission met.
The $16 million Arcadia Police Station building, built with bond money and city and CRA funds, is on target for completion in July. WWM Associates designed the building. Mallcraft of Altadena is the contractor and Construction Control Group is the manager of the project. The station is the first civic project constructed with bond funding.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich met with Arcadia City Council and the Redevelopment Agency to discuss the Gold Line issues and state funding.
Mayor Gail Marshall reports that the state of the city is excellent. She discussed some of the civic projects in progress, such as the $16 million police station.
In the transition to the new federal No Child Left Behind Program, the Arcadia Board of Education is losing money and is being forced to cut the number of English language instructional aides in elementary school.
Embassy Suites Arcadia is scheduled to have a grand reopening after extensive property renovations, under the new management and ownership by Windsor Hospitality Group.
If a 1948 plan by the Rapid Transit Action Group to salvage a portion of the Pacific Electric Red Car system had become a reality, Arcadia and Monrovia would have been enjoying the benefits of light rail transit for the last 54 years. Arcadia Weekly writer Charles Cooper provides historical information and rider statistics of the old rail lines.
Arcadia City Council approved spending about $297,700 in state police funds for various purposes, including an upgrade to the police shooting range, located beneath the Council Chamber.
Fifth graders pledge to avoid drugs as they graduate from the 17-week DARE program. Pictures and excerpts from essays of Galina Agayeve and Ingrid Pierre are printed.