CEDU Staff, Students, and Alumni Support

CelticGoddess ... just read post that apparently Universal Health Services has lost interest in California and Vermont properties ... what does that mean for our folks?

There are other bidders in the auction, besides the CEDU group. That is about all I know for now. I guess the auction takes place this week...keep your fingers crossed.

The auction is tomorrow - I believe we will know who won by Friday (8/12).

I would suggest checking the Bonner's Ferry newspaper on-line since our two papers remain clueless and have not bothered to follow the story at all.

The word is that CEDU ex-employees backed out of the bidding for the school. This is per my husband who has been working as security. Apparently maintenance passed this on earlier today. I wish it weren't true.

The following is a clip from the Idaho website:
"The California campus was purchased without any competitive bidding for $4.3 million by a Jewish charity named Shabat."
All the other schools (Idaho, Vermont) were purchased by Universal Health Services.

The following is from the Bonner's Ferry newspaper regarding what will be happening in Idaho. Nothing, of course in our newspapaers and no word from the Rabbi and Shabbat. I did hear that he was planning an Orthodox camp/retreat. Wouldn't he need county approval for that?
Bonners Ferry:We plan to restore them (the properties) to a school program," said Debra
Osteen, UHS vice president and president of the corporation's behavioral
health division.
"We're going to be meeting with the local management and get a sense of
what those programs should look like. And we'll start that as soon as we
get the approval (from the judge.)"
"We're aware there's a local labor force there and we're very excited about
the opportunity to use that local labor force," she said.
The following is a quote from Curtis in Idaho:
"UHS would officially take ownership on August 31, so I guess we should
start seeing things happen soon after that. But there's still a licensing
process, etc., to go through, which would add at least another 30 days, I'd
think. We can only hope they feel the same urgency as we do."

How sad California wasn't in the mix.

For those of you who want the full story from a real newspaper that has community interests at heart, go to:
http://www.bonnersferryherald.com/index.asp?Sec=news&...

Thank you CelticGodess for sharing the article, telling us what's going on in Bonner's Ferry. My husband and I had an opportunity to visit RMA several years ago, and I'm glad to see that residents who were employed by CEDU will have jobs offered to them by Universal - Darn shame they didn't want the Running Springs school! It's pretty doubtful the proposed plans by our new Buyer of CEDU will afford many job opportunities for residents here.

From what I have gathered, it will be a rather kosher (no pun intended) organization. It will offer very little in the way of job opportunities for the community. I would imagine that there will be permits needed and county approval for the operation. Apparently it will be both a school and some sort of retreat. Beause it is a religious organization, it will have non-profit status and will not contribute on a tax basis.
I also wonder how this will affect Rim Ranch's water hook up to city water. Brown schools had pledged to contribute several hundred thousand to the project, but of course they are belly-up and not contributing anything. (The bankruptcy sale will not cover employees lost wages, or vendors' bills. It does not even cover what was owed in secured debt.) Will Running Springs and the Running Springs Water Department now have to eat this big bill?

Here's an interesting bit from an article about the sale of the California
property. See:

http://www.mountain-news.com/articles/2005/08/18/news/new...

An unsecured creditor says he's getting a $72,000 check from the sale
proceeds. That's encouraging:

"In 2003, CEDU and about 30 other property owners annexed into the Running
Springs Water District so they could receive water service."

"When CEDU filed bankruptcy the water district was concerned the thousands
of dollars school owners were paying on their water assessments would be
"down the drain" but that has not happened."

"Running Springs Water District General Manager Ed Brittain told The
Mountain News the district will soon receive a check, for about $72,000,
from the proceeds of the sale which will bring the school's account to a
current status. "The water district or its customers won't be harmed by the
bankruptcy," said Brittain, who breathed a giant sigh of relief."