San Gabriel Valley

JUST IN TIME: Nearly four months late and $2 million over budget, Arcadia’s downtown revitalization project is scheduled to be completed by next Saturday--just in time for a community celebration of the occasion, city officials said Thursday.

As part of the now $8-million face lift of Huntington Drive and 1st Avenue, complete with antique street lamps and stone planters, the City Council this week approved a $326,000 package of marketing programs, business incentives and no-interest loans to ignite interest in the downtown businesses and help them renovate their facades.

Opponents said the planned celebration 10 days before a council election for two seats is a political stunt designed to distract from criticism of the project that has intensified as the price escalated.

“This project is a flawed concept out of control,” said Robert Harbicht, a former councilman running for office again in a field that includes an incumbent who backed the project.