AGOURA HILLS : Earthquake Damage Is Setback for Adobe

The public opening of the oldest structure in Agoura Hills, the historic Reyes Adobe, suffered a $50,000 setback from earthquake damage, but the city otherwise fared well compared to its neighbors to the east.

The Reyes Adobe, completed in 1820, was the only building in Agoura Hills to be deemed temporarily uninhabitable after the Jan. 17 quake, said City Manager Terry Matz.

The adobe was declared structurally sound this week, said Director of Community Services Audrey Brown, although the temblor did about $50,000 worth of damage.

The city has applied for repair funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“It’s a major setback,” Brown said.

“Even more than before, I don’t know when we are going to be able to open it up to the public.”

The Reyes Adobe received a $158,000 face lift in 1988, but about $250,000 in needed landscaping and other repairs went unfunded and no opening date had been set.

Elsewhere, city officials inspected about 200 homes, noting cracked chimneys and patios.

The Chesebro Road bridge over the Ventura Freeway sustained $5,000 in damages, but no lanes were closed.

The pre-dawn quake also provided the most dramatic test to date for the Agoura Hills Disaster Response Team, a group of about 60 volunteers formed in 1988 to provide assistance if the town is ever cut off from professional emergency crews during a calamity.

“Within minutes of the earthquake,” said team Director Scott Brewer, “the emergency operations center in City Hall was activated by volunteers, some of whom were worried about family members who live closer to the epicenter.

“But they responded like professionals.”

Eighteen volunteers made a street-by-street check of Agoura Hills for severe damage, fires or other emergencies, Brewer said.

By 8:15 a.m., they were satisfied that there were none.

After that, Brewer said, several drove to Northridge and other sites in the Valley to join relief efforts of the Red Cross and other groups.

“You get that initial rush of adrenaline,” said Brewer, a trained emergency medical technician who went to Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

“But when you realize that you and your family are all right, and your home and your town are OK, those of us with emergency training usually want to help out where we’re needed.”