The long unused train bridge over Colorado Blvd west of Santa Anita Avenue will be demolished and removed sometime in March or April, according to Gold Line Foothill Extension officials.

That will be just a few months before the new “iconic” bridge over the 210 freeway is completed this summer, Foothill Extension Authority public affairs director Lisa Levy Buch told the group of community leaders gathered Thursday, Feb. 2, at the monthly Arcadia Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Forum.
Since that bridge will once again bring train tracks over the freeway and into Arcadia, that means that a new bridge will need to be built to carry the Gold Line train over Colorado Blvd again when the line opens in 2015.
The County was originally prepared to retrofit the Colorado bridge to make it earthquake-safe until Gold Line officials alerted the County that their money would be wasted on a bridge that was about to be torn down.

A third bridge in Arcadia must then be built to carry the tracks over Santa Anita Avenue near Fasching’s Car Wash.

Buch also revealed for the first time that a decision was recently made to build the 11.5-mile extension in reverse order from the end of the route in Asuza west to the current end of the line at the Sierra Villa station in Pasadena just west of Arcadia.

Work on the iconic bridge over the 210 will begin a series of as many as 20 consecutive late-night full closures of all eastbound lanes between Baldwin and Santa Anita Avenues weekdays from midnight to 5 a.m. that will continue through February and possibly into March. A lengthy temporary support structure, known as falsework, will be erected to create a secure work space over the lanes of the freeway for the entire span of the future 584-foot bridge crossing the freeway at a skewed angle. The falsework structure will create a temporary tunnel-like effect temporarily, as shown in the artist rendering at right.
On nights of full closures, eastbound on-ramps at Rosemead Blvd., Michillinda Ave. and Baldwin Ave. will close at approximately 9:00 p.m., lane closures will begin at approximately 10 p.m. and all lanes will re-open by 6 a.m. the following day.

Meanwhile, legislative groundwork is being laid to extend the Gold Line from Azusa beyond the L.A. County border to Montclair, with an eventual target destination of the L.A. Ontario Airport.

Further details about all the planned construction through Arcadia will be presented by the Foothill Extension Authority and Arcadia City officials at the Chamber’s annual Planning Conference from 8 a.m. – 12 noon on Thursday, Feb. 23 in the Director’s Room of the Santa Anita Park race track.

The Planning Conference, featuring a breakfast buffet, is open to all Chamber members and costs $25 per person. RSVP is required; call the Chamber at 626-447-2159.
Retiring City manager Don Penman will present his final State of the City address at the conference, among several other planned presentations.

– By Scott Hettrick

NAI Capital senior vice presidents Marie Taylor and Dan Bacani have been named 2011 NAI Capital Club silver level honorees.

Marie Taylor

The commercial real estate brokers, based in Pasadena, with many clients and properties in Arcadia, were selected for their winning attitude, extraordinary performance, their client dedication and their determination, according to NAI.
The company says Taylor and Bacani have demonstrated these qualities throughout the year, providing superior client service and results.

NAI Capital, a diversified full-service commercial brokerage with 14 offices and more than 250 brokers in Southern California, offers the leasing of office, industrial and retail property, as well as the selling of office, industrial, retail, residential income property and undeveloped land.

Dan Bacani

The pair represent several property owners and businesses in Arcadia. In 2011, they were retained by Matt Denny’s Ale House Restaurant as a consultant on their lease renewal, and are the exclusive leasing representatives for Dave Scheidler of DPS Software for their building at 41 E. Foothill Blvd. They are currently the exclusive leasing agents for Gentile McCloskey & Company.

Taylor, LEED AP, and Bacani obtained the status of Capital Club Silver level for their outstanding level of production in 2011 where they ranked #1 and #3 respectively in the Pasadena office of NAI Capital Commercial Real Estate. In spite of the challenging market and in many ways because of it, Taylor and Bacani continue to be expert marketers of retail, industrial and office properties in Arcadia as well as a relentless advocates for their clients.
Taylor was also active all year in support of the start-up Arcadia Downtown Business Association.

– By Scott Hettrick

The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce and the Arcadia Association of Realtors® are once again partnering to present a forum on March 7 for the public to meet and hear from all five candidates running for two City Council seats up for election in March/April.

The free Meet the Candidates Forum will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, in the auditorium of the Arcadia Public Library. Seating for 175 attendees will be on a first-come, first-served basis, so please arrive early to ensure a seat. Light refreshments will be provided by the AAR.

Although election day is technically April 10, for the first time there will be no polls open on that date or any other. Mail-in ballots will be mailed to voters March 12 and must be returned and received no later than April 10. With voters having the option of completing and returning their ballots in mid-March, AAR and the Chamber feel it is very important to hold the forum early in the process.
AAR and the Chamber teamed up for a similar forum in 2010 that was standing-room only at the Woman’s Club of Arcadia, and for several elections over the past years.

All five candidates have already agreed to attend to the forum: former Mayor John Wuo, Sho Tay, Henry Nunez, incumbent current Mayor Gary Kovacic, and Mary Dougherty.

Chamber Executive Director Scott Hettrick and AAR Board of Director member Andy Bencosme will co-moderate the forum, with each asking questions of the candidates after initial self-introductions by each candidate. Written questions will be accepted from the audience, with as many as possible being asked of the candidates.

– by Scott Hettrick and Andrew Cooper

Steven A. Sisto has been appointed senior vice president/chief operating officer (COO) at Methodist Hospital.

Steven A. Sisto

Sisto is the latest executive to come from the Arizona hospital operations formerly overseen by Methodist’s new CEO and President Dan Ausman, and his appointment comes as Methodist has accepted the resignations and retirements of several longtime department heads and laid off a couple dozen staff from the new Emergency Room that was recently opened in a new wing of the hospital.
Ausman and the new administration is evaluating all operations and finances of the hospital.

“We are very fortunate to have such a talented executive join our team,” Ausman said of Sisto. “Steve is an engaging leader, and his collaborative style fosters a ‘can do’ problem-solving attitude that can quickly cut across all hospital departments to forge a working alliance with leaders, staff and physicians to improve service and satisfaction.”

Sisto has 20+ years of operational experience as a healthcare executive, most recently as the VP of operations for the six-hospital system in Arizona, where he was responsible for coordinating operational initiatives, capital budgeting, facility construction, regional strategies for consolidated engineering, EVS, security and biomed across the system.

“Steve is skilled in all areas of operational management, ranging from productivity to lean to expense management, managing multi-disciplinary service line committees to improve service, and holding staff accountable to achieving our goals,” Ausman said.
Sisto, who assumed his new duties January 3, has also served as a CEO for a 132-bed acute-care facility and as a hospital COO at four other California acute facilities ranging in size from 150 beds to a 348-bed tertiary-care trauma hospital.
He received his bachelor of science in healthcare administration from the University of La Verne and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Married with six children, Sisto said he is happy to be back in California and closer to family.

– By Scott Hettrick

Arcadia Police Chief Robert Guthrie will discuss home security alarms and other home safety and general police information at the quarterly Arcadia Chamber of Commerce Business Lunch Connection produced by the Chamber Ambassadors and sponsored this month by Sylvia Ramos of Coldwell Banker.

Everyone is welcome to the lunch that begins at 11:30 a.m.  in the Chamber conference room, 388 W. Huntington Drive. Centerpiece decorations are provided by Ralph’s Florist.
The $15 fee includes lunch.
Call the Chamber to rsvp at 626-447-2159 or e-mail to info@ArcadiaCaChamber.org.

The Ambassadors’ Business Lunch Connection is held on the third Wednesday every third month – the next will be April 19, featuring new Methodist Hospital CEO Dan Ausman as the guest speaker.

Media contact: Scott Hettrick, Chamber Executive Director
Phone: 626-447-2159 / e-mail: Scott@ArcadiaCaChamber.org