Main Street

Cerri picking
The city of Healdsburg continues to study what to do with an old warehouse in a gentrifying neighborhood.
The Cerri Building, known to old timers as the Purity Building and to older timers as the Del Monte packing plant, continues to decay on North Street.
The city used eminent domain to acquire the property in 2004 for parking, and while a lot of time and money has been spent, not much has been done.
There have been studies. The old fuel tank at the northwest corner of the building leaked into the ground and another tank at the southwest corner of the building leaked too. The environmental sampling even found dry cleaning byproducts in the soil, but that’s believed to be an isolated event with limited damage.
The overall takeaway from the environmental studies is that despite a few leaks, the groundwater is clean. So yeah, it can be used as a parking lot (welcome back to square one).
The initial plan was to tear down the building and create parking. Everyone agrees that we need parking, but nothing is easy in Healdsburg.
A vocal group of folks are pointing out that City Hall to the west and Shed to the east are both newer buildings that were designed with an agrarian design vibe, probably inspired by the Cerri Building, and the irony of demolishing the real thing is, well … you get it.
Others (me included) think it’s a falling down old building, and that a modern, efficient shade structure, complete with a solar array on top, would be a fitting tribute to the practicality of the past and be more useful.
It’s worth noting that while many want to preserve the old building for a permanent home for the farmers’ market, those ever-practical farmers want it torn down to make more space for parking and farm stalls.
There is a Goldilocks solution: local architects Jon Worden and Alan Cohen came up with a nifty design that preserves the character of the building and provides parking, but they did that work for free, and the city prefers to pay for designers and studies that take far longer and cost much more.
So … after years of studies, we have five alternatives: 1) renovate the existing building using the free plans developed by Jon and Alan; 2) renovate the existing building using the paid-for plans by the hired consultants; 3) tear it down and put up a modern shade structure and maximize parking; 4) tear it down and put up a prettier shade structure that honors the agrarian roots of the nearby buildings that were inspired by the agrarian roots of the torn-down building; 5) continue to do nothing.
If you know what to do, the city wants to hear from you. Visit cityofhealdsburg.org, search for “Cerri” and fill in the feedback form.
On the subject of reimagining aged ag buildings, the Sunsweet prune plant in Geyserville became “Sunsuite,” a big glass block nestled into an old stucco structure. A couple of blocks off Geyserville’s main drag, part of the structure is now home to a high end art gallery and fabric showroom, and owner Dallas Saunders is opening Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The West Side School Dads’ Club is holding a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker night this Saturday, May 21 at the Brandt Picnic Grounds along the river. To join in the manly fun email [email protected] or [email protected].
The local American Legion Post is scrambling, as usual, to raise funds for our local fireworks show, paid for by fundraising, and is holding a “Golf Scramble” on June 3 to help the cause. Proceeds go to the fireworks and to other causes supported by the Legion, including scholarships. To find out more, visit www.healdsburgamericanlegion.org. In addition to players, they are looking for tee sponsors.
Ray Holley is always scrambling. He can be reached at [email protected].