Arcadia resident Thomas J. Crow died October 25. Article outlines Crow's career as a journalist who at one time owned and operated the Monrovia Journal.
The Arboretum has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Institute of Museum Services. The money will be used for a computerized system to inventory and store information on the Arboretum's plant collection.
A chronology of the city has been developed by the school district's Office of Elementary Instruction utilizing information from the Public Library, the Arboretum and the City Clerk's office. The 35+ page volume will be used by the third and fourth grade classes as they study the community's history.
A continuous left turn lane will be provided in the center of Duarte Road from Lovell Ave. to Baldwin Ave., and directional left turn lights will be installed at the Baldwin and Duarte intersection. This was passed by the Council, requested by the West Arcadia Business and Professional Association.
Enormous cut backs, reduced operating hours, and admission fees are all being contemplated as solutions to keeping the Arboretum going in the face of Proposition 13 caused revenue losses.
Three city-owned lots at 521 N. First Avenue, adjacent to the Foothill Freeway, were sold last week by the Arcadia City Council to the W. D. Wilson Co., which will construct a building on the site and move from its present location in South Pasadena. James J. Melas, president of the W. D. Wilson Co. and an Arcadia resident said his firm deals in sophisticated biomedical supplies and unusual alloys and fittings for medical instruments. Selling price was $41,500. The city originally purchased the lots from the state Department of Highways for $33,000.
Nine visitors to the Arboretum were injured when a large eucalyptus branch fell on them. They were taken to Arcadia Methodist Hospital where all but two were treated and released. The more seriously injured had a broken right arm and spinal damage.
Opposing forces are preparing for the March 1 City Council meeting. At this time the Council will decide whether to permit Mr. McCaslin to develop the area in lots of 18,000 to 20,000 square feet and keep the mansion, or to hold him to the 30,000 square feet set by the Planning Commission and risk losing the house built by Anita Baldwin.
The possibility of a fee for admission to both the Arboretum and Descanso Gardens is being considered by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. At a hearing, Hal Roach, a member of the Board of Governors expressed the hope that the Supervisors would not resort to charging a fee. The fee would NOT be used to keep up the Arboretum, but would go into the County General Fund.