Piru Looks to the Future

Officials see Piru Town Square as a tribute to the community’s rich history and resilience, and a sign of future prosperity.

Those aspirations were voiced Saturday as about 150 county officials and local residents gathered at groundbreaking ceremonies for the $2.2-million project.

“It’s a fabulous day in Piru and a long-awaited day,” said Marty Robinson, a Ventura County regional development administrator, who is working on the project.

The town square, which will include a train station, outdoor gazebo and picnic tables, is one of the first major construction projects in Piru since the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

More than 100 private homes and 14 of the community’s 15 businesses buckled in the quake. Buildings that once housed banks and markets remain boarded up in the small downtown area along Center Street.

The damage in Piru and nearby Fillmore reached nearly $250 million.

Instead of giving up, Piru residents and officials decided to revitalize this sleepy town, which is circled by citrus orchards and nestled in the grassy foothills along California 126.

“This was basically a ghost town and people wanted services back,” Robinson said. “Residents made a list of what they wanted and that included new sidewalks, businesses and a place to gather.”

Officials plan to pay for the new town square through a combination of county funds and federal grants from the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture.

The town square, which is expected to be completed in the fall, will feature a train depot that is a replica of Piru’s 1880s station.

Inside the depot will be office space and a visitors center, and outside there will be a concrete bandstand and train platform.

Officials hope to bring a scenic train to town, utilizing old tracks between Santa Paula and Piru.

“It’s just one more link in the tourism development in the Heritage Valley,” said Jim Garfield, president of the Heritage Valley Tourism Assn. “There are so many people in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley who don’t know we exist.”

Guests at the groundbreaking ceremony had a taste of life along the rails when a wood-burning steam locomotive chugged into Piru on Saturday to punctuate the historic theme of the new town square.

As the engine belched smoke and whistled, officials also talked about a new 2 1/2-mile bike path that will connect the town square with Rancho Camulos east of Piru, a historic 1,800-acre citrus farm.

Residents are excited about the new depot but also anxious for more downtown revitalization.

So far, Habitat for Humanity has built an entire neighborhood. A gasoline station and minimarket are also near completion.

“[The depot] will promote the downtown area and maybe we will get some antique shops and boutiques,” said Felix Noriega, chairman of the town’s film location committee.