Landslide Repair Costs Grow by $400,000

Agoura Hills will have to pay $400,000 more than expected for repairs after a 1993 landslide that badly damaged two homes in the city’s Via Amistosa neighborhood during a winter storm.

After repairs got underway in May, a portion of the slope gave way, making it necessary to remove an additional 8,000 cubic yards of soil, said City Engineer Elroy Kiepke.

He said the slope also was found to contain more moist soil than had been anticipated and that had to be removed, adding to the expense.

The city had originally planned to spend $420,000 for the repair work, officials said. Counting the additional $400,000, officials said, the project is expected to cost an estimated $1.2 million with engineering costs.

Of the two houses along Via Amistosa damaged during the February rains, one has been torn down and the other, which was purchased by the city, will be repaired and sold, Kiepke said.

The City Council, which has final say, will discuss Kiepke’s request for the additional appropriation at 7 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall.

Despite the setback, the project is on schedule, Kiepke said, and should be completed in July. Meanwhile, utilities have been shut off to four houses on Calle Montecillo, above the slope, officials said.

The residents have been relocated until the work is completed, officials said.