Earthquake: The Long Road Back : Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Santa Clarita Water Is Back, Schools to Reopen : Recovery: Classes will start Monday at most campuses, but repairs could cost a total of $20 million.

By PHIL SNEIDERMAN and SHARON MOESER

Jan. 22, 1994 12 AM PT

SANTA CLARITA — Life in Santa Clarita inched closer to normal Friday, with plans being made to reopen most schools and water service being restored to most residents.

School officials in Newhall spent Friday hustling to repair broken lights, windows and water pipes so that classes can resume at most campuses Monday. But the two most damaged campuses in the William S. Hart Union High School District--Hart High School and Placerita Junior High--will remain closed until further notice, district officials said.

The earthquake dealt serious structural blows to at least half a dozen buildings on the Hart campus. If they must be rebuilt, repair costs at that campus could reach $8 million, Supt. Walter L. Swanson said.

The losses at nearby Placerita Junior High, where the parking lot pavement cracked and numerous light fixtures toppled to the floor, could hit $2 million, Swanson said. When the Hart and Placerita repair bills are added to those at the district’s six other schools, the total could be $20 million, the superintendent said.

On Friday afternoon, Bill Beauer, assistant principal at Hart High, stepped carefully around the quake rubble.

“I’ve been here 19 years,” he said. “This was the worst earthquake by far.”

The school’s auditorium, built in 1945, was sealed off because large portions of the ceiling had collapsed, releasing hazardous airborne asbestos particles.

District staff members were worried how the repairs could be financed. “I think everybody is concerned, knowing that money for schools is so scarce to begin with,” said Dick Louis, athletic director at Hart High.

Swanson said the district would have to seek federal disaster funds or consider other revenue sources.

At Placerita Junior High, the buildings were found to be structurally sound, but electrical and water pipe repairs were expected to be costly. Although Swanson said Placerita probably could be ready for students to return Monday, its reopening was delayed because it still had no natural gas service by Friday afternoon, leaving the campus without heat and hot water.

He said the reopening of Hart High School would have to wait until engineers could do a further review of the school’s original blueprints.

One of the key problems at Hart, he said, was structural damage to a building containing 22 classrooms for 600 students.

The district’s other high schools, Canyon and Saugus, will be open Monday and Tuesday on a reduced schedule of 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Arroyo Seco and Sierra Vista junior high schools will be open Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to noon. Two alternative campuses, The Learning Post and Bowman High School will return to regular schedules Monday, but all Golden Oak Adult School programs will be canceled until further notice, district officials said. Regular school district and city transportation will be available on Monday.

While school officials were busy grappling with damaged buildings, a small tent city was formed in Newhall Memorial Park by residents who were either unable or too afraid to return to their earthquake-damaged homes. On the park grounds were about 20 makeshift tents and shelters, many constructed of cardboard boxes, bedsheets and large plastic tarps.

“We feel safer out here,” said Kira Ortiz, 17, as she prepared food on a barbecue. Nearby was Rosa Mendez and her 2-year-old daughter, Jessica, who had been sleeping in Mendez’s car for the past three nights. “The apartment I’m in almost fell in,” she said. “I can’t go back inside. I’m scared.”

Meanwhile, the joint state-federal disaster assistance center that opened Thursday afternoon in Canyon Country continued to do brisk business Friday. Relief officials there said more than 300 people had submitted relief applications in its first two days.

Although residents commended federal officials for providing food and water to those waiting in line Friday--something that had not been done Thursday--they also complained that people with scheduled appointments to submit relief applications were being forced to wait nearly two hours beyond their scheduled times.

“Our time was 3 to 4 p.m.,” said Mark Papp, 32, of Canyon Country, as he stood in line at 4:45 p.m. Friday, waiting for his appointment. “And we’re still not there yet.”

But Kevin and Jill Rollins, a Newhall couple who had just finished their appointment, said the process went very smoothly. “It’s very organized,” said Jill Rollins. To shorten the delays, federal officials said they switched Friday to a less time-consuming application procedure for residents.

Exhaustion was also setting in for the officers stationed at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, who will be given their first day off since Monday’s quake.

Lt. Robert Elson said the 130 officers based at the station have been working 12-hour shifts without a day off since the earthquake hit.

“We have to give people some time off because the fatigue is building to the point people are having trouble functioning,” Elson said.

About 120 officers were sent to the area Friday from other stations throughout the county to provide additional patrol support. Elson said the officers will work traffic control, security and street patrol.

They will also serve as a tactical response force for north Los Angeles County if another disaster strikes.

Residents who had been without water also got some better news. Valencia Water Co. has been able to restore service to nearly all of its customers in Valencia and Saugus. Stevenson Ranch and Sunset Pointe, located west of the Golden State Freeway, were still without water, although company officials said it will be on within the week.

Newhall County Water District, serving 6,700 people in the Newhall area, reported that “99.9%” of its customers have water. Only a trailer park and a dozen homes remain without water, said Jean DiAngelous, assistant general manager, noting that potable water is being provided to them. All of the company’s customers should have water by Sunday.

Virtually all the 19,000 households and businesses served by Santa Clarita Water Co. again have water service, staff engineer Dennis Rolfe said Friday.

Santa Clarita spokeswoman Gail Foy said earthquake-related damage to the city is estimated at $125 million, a figure that doesn’t include losses at schools, libraries and the local water treatment plant.

As of Friday, 12 buildings in the city were designated as uninhabitable. The condemned structures include four single-family houses, two multifamily homes, five commercial buildings and one church.

Sixty residential and commercial buildings have been assigned limited access, Foy said, noting that with extensive repairs the structures can be saved.

“Electricity is on for just about everybody, gas is getting on for just everybody and we’re still on a boil-water order,” Foy said.

Sneiderman is a Times staff writer and Moeser is a Times correspondent.