The Angeles National Forest 10-acre headquarters, based in Arcadia, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house Tuesday, Dec. 11, for its $12 million new two-story, 24,000 square-foot office and other buildings at its campus on Santa Anita Avenue just south of the 210 freeway.
Sitting like a guard on the north side of the campus alongside the main new building is a giant Smokey Bear — at least, a green topiary version of the iconic symbol of the National Forest — that can be seen by passing motorists exiting the eastbound lanes of the 210 freeway to Santa Anita. The living sculpture was first created in 1993 for the Sierra Madre float in the Jan 1, 1994 Rose Parade to celebrate Smokey’s 50th birthday in July 1994.
The Redwood siding and building design that looks as if it could be a resort in Yosemite or a new Disney resort in the family of the Californian or Wilderness Lodge, is based on the original 1930 California Conservation Corp warehouse on the site.
Work began in September 2011 on the project funded by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars. The new structure houses administrative offices and a training facility for the Angeles National Forest. An atrium and the training center will be available to local, county and federal fire personnel.
The Arcadia facility, dubbed the Supervisor’s Office, houses a staff of about 100 workers in provides overall management and specialist services to three Districts comprising the Forest.
Until 1986, the “S.O.” occupied a series of leased facilities in the region before moving to the current location at 701 N. Santa Anita Ave., which came into ownership by the federal government in the 1930s to provide an engineering work center and the South Zone Fire Cache.
For the past 26 years the SO facility consisted of 22 pre-constructed modular units. The campus is also used for meetings with public and private entities, indoor and outdoor training for federal, county, and city fire departments, including Arcadia Fire Department, and public open houses and events.
The SO is one of ten projects approved out of 37 applications for funding by the American Recovery and Restoration Act of 2009 (the stimulus). The main building incorporates three former buildings, including a 2,428 square-foot building built in 1941 and used by the Southen California Contracting Unit, and a 1,568 sf law enforcement building built in 1960. A 957 square-foot conference building built in 1938 has been refurbished and will now be the office for ISO radio technicians who service the Angeles and other forests.
The SO, designed and built by PWCI, under Paul “Sonny” Marshall who was born and raised in Arcadia, is a “Green” building that is anticipated to get a high Silver or low Gold LEED ranking for demonstrating Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, uses a solar system and many natural light sources, as well as shade trees and rain water retention and recycling.
The ceremony, which began with the playing of bag pipes and the unfortunate raising of the Forest Service flag upside down (see video), included details of the above by Forest Supervisor Thomas A. Contreras, Deputy Chief Leslie Weldon, and Regional Forester Randy Moore.
Certificates of Appreciation were presented by multiple dignitaries, including the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, and Becky Chang, representing Congresswoman Judy Chu, who officially begins representing Arcadia next month.
— By Scott Hettrick
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