As legions of tree-trimming trucks were fanning out across the city to begin the massive clean-up process from last week’s wind storm, and with some customers still without electricity late Monday afternoon, seven intersections still being treated as four-way stops due to non-working traffic signals, and roads such as Colorado west of Santa Anita still closed to traffic five days after the storm, the Arcadia City Council announced a special meeting to discuss the situation at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 in the City Council Conference room, 240 W. Huntington Drive. The public is invited to make comments.
Terra Verde Park at Camino Real and Second Avenue.
Meanwhile, the City is making the Arcadia Community Center available tonight, Monday, Dec. 5, as a warming center until midnight for those still without electricity and in need of a warm place to stay for a while, or a place to charge cell phones or computers.
The City characterizes the damage in Arcadia as “substantial” and says it will take a considerable amount of time to address all of the power line, tree and traffic signal problems.
Driveway next to Terra Verde Park on Second Avenue south of Camino Real.
In a bulletin Monday, the City said officials are in contact with Southern California Edison and have impressed upon them the need to not only restore the power as quickly as possible, but also to provide the City and their customers with information about when power is expected to return.
The Arcadia Public Library and neighboring Arcadia Masonic Center, both on Duarte Road on the east side of Santa Anita Avenue, still had no power on Monday.
Terra Verde Park at Camino Real and Second Avenue.
Communication has been very poor from Edison throughout the ordeal, with the City unable to provide any updates on the status or anticipated restoration of power since last Wednesday.
The City also noted that Waste Management will conduct normal trash service on Wednesday, Dec. 7, as long as the bins can be accessed by their vehicles. Your trash, recycling and greenwaste bins should be placed in their usual location.
Terra Verde Park at Camino Real and Second Avenue.
Waste Management will not pick up tree limbs and debris. Removal and clearing of trees not in the public right-of-way is the responsibility of the property owner. If you are hiring a private company to cut or remove a tree, make sure the company is licensed and that they remove all of the debris.
As residents try to work on clean-up of their property, the City reminds to call 911 to report fallen power lines, and not to touch it under any circumstances. Emergency situations should always be reported to 911. Non-emergency calls and service requests should be directed to (626) 256-6554 or (626) 256-6650.
Wilderness Park and the Los Angeles County Arboretum are closed until further notice. The Arcadia Public Library and Arcadia Masonic Center have been closed since Thursday and will remain so until power is restored. The one-man Christmas Carol program scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, Dec. 6) at the Library, has been moved to the Community Center, 365 Campus Drive.
— By Scott Hettrick