Healdsburg's Foss Creek School Purchase Hinges on Redevelopment Outcome

After spending countless hours last July to work out a satisfying plan with the city of Healdsburg now wonders if the "win-win" deal will go south amid the loss of redevelopment agencies statewide.

"We just don't know," said Healdsburg Assistant City Manager David Mickaelian. "There are more questions than answers right now."

Healdsburg was in the process of buying the old school building from HUSD, in exchange for giving the school district ownership of the community swimming pool on the campus of

Mickaelian is scheduled to address members of the on the issue Wednesday night. Click here for a meeting agenda.

Mickaelian said he will only talk with the commission members about impacts to community services, such as parks and recreation programs. Further public talks on the redevelopment dilemma will be offered as the city gets more information, he said.

City Manager Marjie Pettus said earlier this month that the state to abolish redevelopment agencies will have

She and Mickaelian are trying to interpret the language of the ruling, which also calls for

"We don't know if that means we have to get rid of all our government buildings, our parks and our roads," Mickaelian said. "It's unclear."

Mickaelian said the city never paid the $2.4 million in "ransom" money it was earlier told would be enough to keep its redevelopment program going. That was because the ransom program was put on hold pending the court ruling, he said.

As part of the ruling, the ransom program was also eliminated.

In addition to purchasing the old for restoration as a vibrant Healdsburg Community Center, Healdsburg was also planning to use redevelopment money for

"I just don't know what's going to happen with that," Mickaelian said. In another blow, Healdsburg City Council learned on Jan. 3 that the ruling means the

To read a background article on redevelopment, click here.

To read about efforts by the California Redevelopment Association to fight the Feb. 1 abolition deadline, click here.