VENTURA : Program Extended to Reinforce Houses

The Ventura City Council has voted to extend a program to help residents reinforce wooden foundations that are particularly vulnerable to earthquake damage.

The program was scheduled to expire at the end of the year, but the council voted recently to extend it until Dec. 31, 1991.

In April, the council set up a $28,000 fund to provide technical assistance to the owners of 140 houses with above-ground foundations called cripple wall. Wooden foundations were prevalent from the turn of the century until the 1930s, said Everett Millais, community development director.

“What often happens with structures like these is that during an earthquake, the house slides off the foundation, pancakes on down to the ground, the water and gas lines burst, and many times the home is too damaged to be saved,” he said.

Two of the 140 qualified houses have been upgraded through the program, and plans have been drawn for a third.

The owners pay for the construction work, but the city pays for the technical research, plans, specifications and inspections. The city’s share ranges from a few hundred dollars to $2,000 per house, Millais said. Owners pay $2,000 to $5,000 for the bracing, he added.