Tenants Say Repairs Are Promised : Moorpark: But the owner of quake-damaged building on High Street has yet to announce new reconstruction plans.

Since the Northridge earthquake first cracked the brick and adobe walls of a building on High Street more than 18 months ago, the owner, Don Wokal, and city engineers have been fighting over how to fix what is believed to be the last structure in Moorpark that doesn’t meet earthquake safety codes.

As a temporary measure, a few strategically placed beams prop up the west wall of a print shop in the building, but the web of cracks is a reminder of the frightening fragility of the old unreinforced masonry structure. City officials are worried that another quake could send the walls crashing down altogether.

Late last month, Wokal went before a board of three retired civil engineers to appeal a city ruling that said the repairs he planned for the building were not good enough. The City Council appointed the board in May specifically to deal with Wokal’s appeal.

He lost. And now Wokal has until July 27 to either come up with new plans that meet the city’s specifications or stand back and watch the city tear down the building. Wokal would be billed for the demolition.

Smarting from the appeal board’s decision, Wokal would not talk about what he intends to do, but tenants in the building said Wokal assured them that he would have his engineer draw up plans for repairs that meet the city’s requirements.

The adobe structure, which houses a veterinarian’s clinic and the print shop, was built in 1924, city officials said, but it is not considered to have architectural or historical significance. If the city and state had designated it as historical, rebuilding requirements would be more lenient.

It was not until the earthquake damaged the building that city inspectors learned that it was constructed entirely of unreinforced adobe, said Dirk Lovett, Moorpark’s assistant city engineer.

“It’s pretty much just mud and brick,” he said.

Although the city adopted an ordinance in 1990 requiring that all unreinforced masonry buildings be brought up to new earthquake safety codes, Lovett said at least three buildings, including Wokal’s, were not reinforced when the Northridge earthquake rocked the city in January, 1994.

Along with cracking the walls of Wokal’s building, the quake knocked down portions of the Mayflower Market, one of the other two unreinforced masonry structures known to city officials.

The front section of the market had to be torn down last year, and the owners have been forced to operate their store in a back storage area. They are awaiting permits to rebuild.

The other such building houses Simi Valley Bank, the Whistle Stop bar and Roberto’s Barber Shop. It escaped damage in the quake, and the owners are retrofitting it, Lovett said.

To bring his building up to code, Wokal may have to replace the adobe walls, making sure that they are anchored to each other and have adequate support. Otherwise, he would have to install supports into the existing walls, Lovett said.

Either procedure is expensive, but Lovett could not speculate how much the repairs might cost.

Wokal told city officials early this year that he paid engineers more than $10,000 to draw up the plans that the city rejected. At that time, Wokal said it was too expensive to make the repairs the city wanted.

City officials said they were hopeful that Wokal will now do so.

“We talked after the hearing, and he seemed to indicate that he would resubmit plans and comply with the appeals board decision,” Lovett said.