County May Buy Chevron Building

Looking to cut the cost of leased office space, county officials are considering the purchase of a three-story building across from the County Government Center owned by Chevron USA Inc.

The $2.75-million purchase, approved by the Board of Supervisors’ finance committee Tuesday, must still gain the approval of the Board of Supervisors following a Nov. 11 public hearing.

“Our projection shows that over a 15-year period, we will save about $5.5 million,” said Terry Dryer, Ventura County deputy chief administrative officer.

The county spends $3.5 million on leased office space annually, including 65,000 square feet of office space within a five-mile radius of the Government Center, he said.

Dryer said Chevron wants to continue leasing the 36,000-square-foot building from the county over the next five years and vacate one floor every two years. The county would begin moving departments to the building in January 1999. The five-year lease to Chevron would earn an estimated $1.6 million, Dryer said.

County officials have not decided which departments would move into the building, which is across the street from the Government Center and next to the West County Annex.

The building would be purchased with interest earnings from the Public Facilities Corp., an agency set up by the county to finance construction of large public building projects.