Celebrity and super model Tyra Banks' television show "Top Model" did a photo shoot at Santa Anita Park Race Track, using semi-nude models. Pete Siberell, Director of Community Service at Santa Anita Park, described it as "kinda sleazy."
All sworn officers of the Arcadia Police Department have been specially trained and certified in the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). Each officer on patrol is equipped with an AED.
Volunteers In Patrol is a new program to be launched by the Police Department. Volunteers will be trained to conduct vacation house checks, provide subpoena service, deliver documents, handle transportation details, direct traffic, school patrols and parking enforcement.
The police station is scheduled to be demolished and a new one will be built behind the current facility. The project is estimated to cost $16 million. The new building will be 52,000 square feet and slated to open in the first part of 2003.
Recreation classes and programs for Arcadia residents will be increased for everyone except senior citizens under a new fee schedule adopted by the City Council.
Orange County artist Dave Chapple will create a bronze statue of two uniformed officers that will be installed at the entrance to the new $16 million police station. The cost of the sculpture will be about $50,000.
A recent string of robberies in Arcadia may have been committed by two serial robbers. The latest crime was reported at the 500 block of Las Tunas Drive. The suspects are two Latino men driving a green or blue, newer-model, 4-door sedan, in their mid-20s.
"Blind Justice," an 11-foot tall tile mural at the police station dating back to the 1950s, will not be preserved when the new police station is built. The mural was judged not to have significant artistic or historical merit. The mural will be archived, with some element maintained for display in the new building.
"The proposed Skateboard Park for Arcadia young people is moving closer to a reality," said City Manager Bill Kelly. Currently, the project is on the capital improvements list for $300,000 and the preferred location is Bonita Park.
The fountain created by Millard Sheets which sits at the entrance to the Los Angeles County Arboretum may be removed and replaced by another water feature. The plan is in the early stages and the final decision will be make by the Arboretum Foundation Board of Trustees.