MOORPARK : Council Asks FEMA to Pay for Demolition
Four months after the devastating Northridge earthquake, the Moorpark City Council is requesting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency pay for the demolition of an 80-year-old market knocked off its foundation during the temblor.
The city is requesting that FEMA pay $29,000 as the cost of demolishing the Mayflower Market on High Street and a wall at the Metrolink station.
Rifaat Hijaz, owner of the 20-year-old family business, said he is eager to have the building razed.
“The sooner they take it down the better,” he said.
Hijaz has operated the market out of a nearby storage shed. His family is eager to rebuild, but is still waiting on a $300,000 low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“We don’t know why it’s taking so long, I wish I knew,” he said.
“At least the city has been helpful.”
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