All events, classes and services have been canceled due to fears that the 1930s-era building may fall in the event of seismic activity.
An announcement that the Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Hall is closing indefinitely came down abruptly this afternoon, prompting executive director Tim Brattan to send out an email announcing that all classes and events at the hall are canceled, and for instructors and patrons to remove their belongings today. “If you have any stuff here we will arrange a day and time for you to retrieve it, or please try to get here before 5pm today,” the email reads. “It may be early February before we can have you sign waivers to get in an [sic] get it.” When reached by phone to ask whether there is any sense of when the hall could re-open, Brattan said hurriedly, “There’s no sense. I wish there were some sense,” before excusing himself to make more calls, alerting others to the closure.
Joe Schultz, Director of Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services, says the closure was ordered after the county determined the building to be unsafe in the event of an earthquake. “Tim noticed some stucco lying on the ground. Part of the building had fallen from the high up,” says Schultz. “Huge chunks, fist-size chunks of concrete.” After an architect and a structural engineer had a chance to examine the building last Friday, they determined that the rebar inside the building walls had rusted to the point that they are no longer supporting the building, which was built in 1932. “What you’ve got is nothing but masonry holding up the sides of the building,” says Schultz. The findings also suggested that the auditorium is particularly unsafe.
The Veterans Service Office, which is a liaison between local vets and the Palo Alto VA, and provides client advocacy and case management, is being temporarily moved to the county’s Emeline Street building, though county spokesperson Dinah Phillips says details on what services will be available there are still forthcoming.
