Barn remodel to go out to bid
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

It's unlikely Adolfo Camarillo ever considered the barn he built nearly 100 years ago would one day become a unique venue in Ventura County for a wedding reception.

But that may very well be the case next summer, as Camarillo city officials will soon accept bids from contractors for the renovation of the barn at the Adolfo Camarillo Ranch House.

The $900,000 project will not only bring the 102-year-old facility up to the city's building code, but also will include an interior remodel that will make it possible to host receptions, banquets and dances inside the 5,300 squarefoot barn.

The barn sits on the historic four-and-a-half acre Adolfo Camarillo Ranch property, which includes the former home of Adolfo Camarillo and the surrounding gardens and lawn.

Owned by the city, the ranch is maintained by the volunteer-based Camarillo Ranch Foundation.

Bruce Feng, assistant city manager, said the City Council voted last year to spend $450,000- about half the project's total cost- to pay for seismic upgrades and to weatherproof the barn's exterior.

Those renovations, however, weren't enough to make it possible for the Camarillo Ranch Foundation to rent out the barn for events. Bill Little, a foundation board member, said volunteers looked into raising the money to pay for the interior renovation but realized it would take too long to cover the additional $450,000 needed.

"We were going to end up spending a lot of time, money without having anything to show for it," Little said.

Earlier this year, the city agreed to pay for the interior remodel, which includes a cement floor, bathrooms, a catering kitchen and a small storage area. The upgrades also will include fire and burglar alarms and sprinklers.

Feng said the City Council's decision to move forward with the interior work was "a business move" because it made it possible to rent the barn for events and generate revenue for the foundation.

Little said the ranch operates on a $400,000 annual budget-- much of which is raised by renting out the lawn and three-story home for events. Renting out the lawn, he said, is limited to the summertime during warmer weather, which limits the number of events the foundation can book.

Little said the barn could be rented out year-round and that the foundation's board estimates renting the facility would generate $75,000 to $100,000 annually.

Some of that additional money, Little said, would be used to help pay for the upkeep of the barn once it became a banquet and reception facility.

"There's just nothing like it in Ventura County that I'm aware of," Little said of the barn built in 1905.

Ventura-based architectural firm Faulconer and Associates handled the project's design.

Feng said the city wants to begin work on the barn by January. "It's a relatively simple project," Feng said. "I don't anticipate any wrinkles."