A city crew was at work this past week, removing what was determined to be a hazardous sign situation on Santa Fe Street in downtown Riverbank.

On Tuesday, March 6, the crew used a lift bucket and a ladder to remove the sign of Horisons Unlimited Health Clinic in the historic building formerly known as Sorenson’s True Value Hardware Store, next to City Hall South. Since the family retired and closed their store, the building has been occupied briefly as a barber/hair stylist shop before work on the clinic began.

Last spring, the building was remodeled by Horisons, but it has never opened for business. The company was forced in May to file for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of California, Fresno Division.

Complicating matters, board members leading the nonprofit clinic were also muddled in a legal battle that had two sides pitting lawsuits against one another over allegations of mismanagement and misuse of financial assets. The corporation has been assigned a trustee to help sort things out.

Horisons closed all of its other clinics Aug. 1 of last year. They are located in Merced, Madera, and Mariposa counties, with three of the clinics serving patients in Newman, Patterson and Livingston in Stanislaus County. Patients were offered pediatric, OBGYN, chiropractic, dental, family practice and mental health services. Similar services were expected to be offered here in the Riverbank clinic.

The city ordered its workers to take the sign down after indications the anchor bolts were failing. It was in danger of falling on the city sidewalk below.

The bolts had been attached to the building’s single brick exterior wall, above the entrance, but close inspection showed how loose they had become.