Countywide : Land Action on New Jail May Start Soon

Ventura County officials may begin proceedings next month to condemn 157 acres near Santa Paula for a new jail, although the issue of contaminated soil on the property is unresolved.

The property is valued at $2.6 million, according to an appraisal prepared for the county by Ventura Appraisal. But it may cost an estimated $500,000 to finish cleaning up soil contamination caused by leaking gasoline and oil tanks, said Arthur Goulet, county director of public works.

The county has offered $2.6 million which was rejected by landowners Michael R. and Nancy A. Brucker. The two sides will continue to negotiate, Goulet said.

“The contamination is the real touchy part,” he said. “It complicates the transaction.”

Last July the Board of Supervisors picked the site at California 126 and Todd Road for a new jail from among five spots. On Tuesday the supervisors are expected to schedule a public hearing Dec. 4 to authorize the condemnation.

The first phase of the jail is expected to be constructed in about three years. It will cover 15 acres and house 752 inmates. The cost is estimated at $51 million, with state funding covering $31 million and rest coming from county funds. Ultimately, the entire complex will house 2,306 inmates and cover 40 to 45 acres.

The site is now a lemon orchard. At one time four aboveground oil tanks on the property stored fuel to operate 2,000 smudge pots. In addition, about 15 underground gasoline tanks were located there to fuel wind machines, which are used to help regulate temperatures in the orchard.

All the tanks have been removed and the cleanup has been going on the last three years, said Ted England, attorney for the Bruckers who bought the property a little more than a year ago. The soil has been detoxified mainly by stockpiling it and letting it air out, he said.

The cleanup has cost more than $1 million, England said, and the remaining work will cost less than $500,000. He said “there is a substantial difference” between the county’s offer and the Bruckers’ selling price, which he didn’t disclose.