OJAI : 14 Buildings Must Be Made Quake-Safe

Owners of 14 unreinforced masonry buildings in Ojai will have four years to upgrade them to earthquake safety standards under a new city ordinance to take effect July 12.

The Ojai City Council gave final approval to the ordinance Tuesday after working with the affected property owners since 1989 to identify which repairs are needed to meet state and local safety standards.

A total of 29 structures were originally targeted for seismic strengthening, but two buildings were dropped from the list after inspectors determined that they were not built of unreinforced masonry. Another 13 structures were upgraded during the city’s recent $1.6-million renovation of the historic Arcade along Ojai Avenue.

Many of the remaining buildings--such as the Ojai Valley Museum and the three-story bell tower at the Ojai Post Office, built in 1917--are also historic landmarks.

Engineers estimate that costs of repairing 10 of the structures range from $10,000 to $100,000 each. Estimates are pending on four other buildings, which include the bell tower and a historic Catholic chapel that the city is interested in buying.