VENTURA : Texaco Building May House Health Clinic

A Ventura building owned by Texaco will very likely become the new home of a public health clinic that provides medical service to west Ventura residents.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors tentatively agreed Tuesday to buy the building for $1.3 million if Texaco removes asbestos ceiling tiles and cleans up soil contamination from underground fuel tanks.

The building is at 133 W. Santa Clara St. The West Ventura Family Care Clinic now operates from a leased building at 110 N. Olive St.

A public hearing on the proposed purchase is scheduled for Dec. 14.

Although the board agreed to move forward with the purchase, several supervisors expressed concern about having to pay to clean up ground-water contamination that has been discovered in the area. That contamination, from an unknown source, is separate from contamination caused by the leaking fuel tanks.

“I’d like to have a really good idea what to expect in the future,” Supervisor Vicky Howard said. “I don’t want to buy a pig in a poke.”

Staff members recommended the purchase because the $1.3-million cost is below the $3.3 million Texaco initially wanted for the two-story structure.

Another concern was raised by Jere Robings, director of the Ventura County Alliance of Taxpayers and a candidate for a supervisorial seat.

He suggested that a clinic was not needed so close to the Ventura County Medical Center. For the money the county would spend on the building, Robings said, it would be cheaper to put patients in taxicabs and drive them to the medical center.

Supervisor Susan K. Lacey replied that having a clinic in west Ventura provided access to families who might otherwise have difficulty getting health care. She also said clinic staff members played a vital role in the community by doing health screenings in schools.

“You can’t put a price tag on this,” she said. “But if you could, I think the taxpayers of Ventura County would be proud of this system.”