New state-of-the-art library coming to Arcadia. The Los Angeles County Public Library will replace the current branch in unincorporated Arcadia (4153 East Live Oak Avenue) sometime in 2017 at a new site at 22 West Live Oak Boulevard. It will cost about $9 million from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors capital projects funding.
The Arcadia City Council unanimously approved a General Plan update that aims to make the future Metro Gold Line station the heart of a revitalized downtown and the plan includes a revitalization of Live Oak Avenue.
Teens reduce stress at Arcadia Public Library with programs such as crafting their own stress balls and calm bottles on November 19 and cuddle time with Go Team Therapy Dogs on December 12.
Arcadia Public Library Foundation donates over $16,000 to Arcadia Public Library. The money will be used to fund Kaleidoscope Classical Concerts, more chairs for the library auditorium, more new adult Chinese language materials, more copies of best seller e-books, updated software for the preschool computers, and updated performances rights DVDs for Children's programming.
City of Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic proclaims March 2 "Bobbie the Bobcat's New Friend: Day of Kindness" for Barnhart School's student-created book launch. It will be read at Arcadia Public Library on Read Across America Day.
Arcadia city officials will consider changes to its General Plan, a 25-year blueprint for land-use decisions. The new plan aims to revitalize the city's downtown (First Avenue and Huntington Drive) as well as the Live Oak Corridor in the city's southern end. "We're making it easier to develop the downtown and the area around the (future) Gold Line station," said Council Bob Harbicht. If approved, it would allow for mixed-use commercial and residential complexes, commercial square footages could double and the height limit would increase from 40 to 45 feet.
Arcadia aims to upgrade city library. The library is getting community feedback at a community needs assessment forum tonight and has hired an outside party to create a survey written in three languages. The goal is to determine what barriers they need to overcome to bring more people to the library and which programs and services need improvement, particularly in the technology sector.
Arcadia Library Board of Trustees appoints Mary Beth Hayes as interim Director of Library and Museum Services, following the sudden death of Jackie Faust-Moreno. Mary Beth Hayes has been employed by the City of Arcadia since 1989 and is currently Library Services Manager.
Los Angeles County supervisor Mike Antonovich plans to set aside $650,000 of county funds to re-seed the oak woodland habitat in Arcadia that was demolished last week for flood control purposes, after mud and debris dredged from the Santa Anita Dam has been spread at the site. Bob Spencer, spokesman for Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, said there is much more debris poised to come down the hills and "We need to find a solution." Other county wilderness areas face destruction to make way for sediment. Officials are already considering the relocation of sediment from Devil's Gate Dam, which could end up on a 40-acre mature black willow woodland in the Hahamongna Watershed Park. Environmental activists won't let that happen without a fight.
The Oak Tree Racing Association lost its lease to operate its fall horse racing meet at Santa Anita Park. Oak Tree has operated a fall meet at the track since 1969. Due to bankruptcy restructuring, Frank Stronach's company MI Developments took control of Santa Anita Park from Stronach's Magna Entertainment Corp (MEC). MI Developments wants to negotiate a new lease agreement with Oak Tree for fall racing.
Santa Anita Park's owner MI Developments canceled a meeting with the Oak Tree Racing Association last week and said they could not meet the association's June 4 deadline to agree on terms for a new lease. Sherwood Chillingworth of Oak Tree Racing Association would prefer to stay at Santa Anita Park but has to consider Hollywood Park and Del Mar.
Santa Anita Park and Oak Tree Racing Association are vying for the same fall racing dates in 2011. The California Horse Racing Board will meet today to discuss awarding the September 28, 2011 through November 6, 2011 dates.
The Oak Tree Racing Association plans to move its annual fall meet to Del Mar in 2011. Oak Tree has raced at Santa Anita Park since 1969, but will be run this fall at Hollywood Park, before moving to Del Mar. Santa Anita Park ended Oak Tree's lease.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and parts of the Huntington Library remain closed to the public more than two weeks after a ferocious windstorm hit the region overnight on November 30 and December 1. At the historic Arboretum, more than 325 trees were toppled and more than 700 others were damaged. The Arboretum officials want to reopen by December 31. At the Huntington Library in San Marino, more than 50 major trees went down but officials estimate that between 150 and 200 trees will be lost altogether from the damage.
Environmental activists plan to block work crews from clearing 179 oak and sycamore trees, north of Arcadia. Bob Spencer, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, confirmed that construction would begin this morning to clear the 11 acres of trees, to make room for an estimated 500 cubic yards of sediment from Santa Anita Dam, as well as debris from seven other area catch basins. Spencer said, "The purpose behind this project is public safety; the damn built in 1927 does not meet seismic standards. Arcadia city manager Don Penman hopes that the several hundred thousand cubic yards of extra capacity is not an invitation for frequent trucking from other basins.
MI Developments, the new owners of Santa Anita Park, defended canceling Oak Tree Racing Association's lease for fall racing, saying the contract did not account for the true economic cost of running the race track, according to Dennis Mills, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Canada-based MI Developments. On the other hand, Oak Tree's director and executive vice president Sherwood Chillingworth said the race track was getting the better deal, as Santa Anita Park got 75% of Oak Tree's profits. Chillingworth is talking about running Oak Tree at Hollywood Park or Del Mar.