Earthquake and Funding
The 1994 Northridge earthquake struck eight miles away and badly damaged the Village. Because of the severe damage, the Preserve Bottle Village committee applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding, receiving almost US$500,000. In 1997, when it appeared FEMA would award a $455,000 grant to help repair the village after the earthquake, the grant was lost after former Councilwoman Sandi Webb and U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, opposed it. Gallegly called it a waste of taxpayers' money. Also, James Lee Witt, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said his organization had determined that the site was not eligible for Federal disaster relief money because it had not been open to the general public since 1984. The Simi Valley Historical Society and Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District recently allocated about $150,000 to restore an apricot pitting shed. The city of Simi Valley also contributed at least $24,000 through Community Development Block Grant funds to restore the 1920s wood shed with concrete pillars, a remnant of the area's apricot industry. Bottle Village is seen as unique to the community, a treasure worth saving, and with the right amount of funds (estimated to be a few hundred thousand dollars) and several months of dedicated restoration, it could happen.
Read more about this topic: Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village
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