Marin Energy Plans Rooftop Solar Project at San Rafael Airport

Installation of 972-kilowatt system should be finished by this fall, local power authority says.

By this fall, sunlight captured from the rooftop of San Rafael Airport buildings will be juicing selected homes in Marin. The Marin Energy Authority, which administers the Marin Clean Energy program, said in a release that it has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the small county-owned airport for 972 kilowatts of rooftop solar power, the largest solar project in Marin. The power is being purchased for Marin Clean Energy customers through MEA’s feed-in tariff program and the project is expected to be installed and operational by fall 2012. Novato residents are in the process of switching over to Marin Clean Energy power or opting out and remaining with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E will deliver power to both types of …

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Rob Middleton

12:38 pm on Saturday, May 19, 2012

I attended the announcement on Thursday at the airport, and they also said the project will bring 25 new jobs to Marin. Great to see this homegrown energy approach taking root by helping locals.   more ›

Extraordinary French Autos Featured at the Concours d'Elegance on Sunday

A 1936 Delahaye 135 Competition Disapperaing Top Convertible with Coachwork by Figoni et Falaschi will be one of the featured automobiles.

Elegant, stylish, high-design – all adjectives used to define the exquisite vintage automobiles selected to compete on the green at the Marin Sonoma Concours d’Elegance, Sunday, May 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Marin County Civic Center. This year’s event celebrates the gorgeous craftsmanship of French coachbuilders such as Figoni & Falaschi, Saoutchik, and Chapron and Italian designers such as Bertone, Zagato and Vignale. Extraordinary Cord automobiles will also be featured in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the last year these cars were produced. Also featured will be an exhibit of military vehicles, vintage British motorcycles, classic wooden boats, and closed wheel race cars. There is a vehicle to spark every imagination. …

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Comings and Goings

Butcher Says 'Pleased To Meat You'

Marin Country Mart welcomes the latest addition to its food lineup. Belcampo Meat Co is expected to open this summer.

The vision of Marin Country Mart as a one-stop playground for the tastebuds seems to be coming into focus. The Ragged Sailor pulled up anchor from the rebranded Larkspur Landing shopping center. A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books is — sadly — long gone. Longtime resident Marin Brewing Company is surrounded by restaurants Tha Siam and Sushi Ko and one of the newest tenants El Huarache Loco. Rustic Bakery opened in April, soon after Miette cakes. Berry Bliss Frozen Yogurt is on one end of the market, with newcomer Three Twins just a few doors down. And in between, Farmshop Restaurant is set to open later this year. Another food vendor, Belcampo Meat Co., is expected to open this summer right next to Togo's. Belcampo arrives with its pithy …

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Mobile Gourmets Find A Home

Food trucks are expanding in Larkspur with their return to the ferry terminal Tuesday. The trucks will serve commuters weekdays. Meanwhile, Off The Grid trucks are a hit every Sunday at Marin Country Mart.

Tired and hungry after a long day at work in San Francisco? Find salvation as you step off the boat at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. The food trucks that were so popular last year are back at the ferry terminal at Larkspur Landing, starting at 4 p.m. today. This year, there will be up to three food trucks at the terminal Monday through Friday, year-round. On days with greater ferry ridership for major events at AT&T Park, there could be more trucks, district spokeswoman Mary Currie said. The trucks are affiliated with Mobile Gourmet, which also operates similar gatherings in the East Bay. On the heels of the success of the Food Truck Crush at the ferry terminal last year, Marin Country Mart brought in the Off The Grid trucks. Off The Grid's…

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Marin History Museum Launches Smartphone App

Explore ancient Miwok Indian sites, historic residences, movie filming locations and more than 75 historic shipwrecks off the coast with the new app.

The Marin History Museum recently joined a small group of museums that offer mobile applications for the community. The Marin History Museum app launched for Android on April 26, and will be available for iPHones on May 14. It gives users access to the largest and most extensive collection of Marin County related historic content. The museum is one of fewer than a dozen national museums, including New York MOMA, the Smithsonian Institutions, the Guggenheim, and the Museum of Natural History, that have developed applications as part of their public offerings. “We are thrilled to be the only county history museum with such an advanced mobile application,” Museum Director Michelle Kaufman said. “This is an exciting era in our own organization…

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Local Investment Group Hits Big Mark

Litman Gregory, LLC fund passes $250 million in six months.

MarketWatch is reporting that in just six months the Litman Gregory Masters Alternative Strategies Fund has surpassed $250 million in net assets. Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC is based in Larkspur and also has offices in Orinda. According to a release by Litman Gregory: "Demand for the fund continues to exceed our expectations," said Ken Gregory, Chief Investment Strategist and Founding Partner of Litman Gregory. "We, like a lot of other investors, believe that the investment environment will remain at an elevated risk level for a number of years. Alternative strategies that seek to offer relatively low correlation to stocks and bonds, relatively low risk, and the potential for above average risk-adjusted returns may be appealing. This…

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Smart Meter Opt-Out Deadline is Tuesday

Controversial program continues to generate angst among homeowners.

PG&E wants to hear from you. If you don't want the SmartMeter they installed on the side of your house — and they've installed a lot of them — the company wants to hear from you before Tuesday. According to information on their website, May 1 is the company's deadline to opt out of the program. The metering systems are being installed as part of a nationwide "smart grid" in 25 states around the country, according to California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey. The SmartMeters have generated currents of controversy ever since PG&E began installing them without notifying residents. Opponents of the meters argue that the meters emit harmful electromagnetic signals and radiation, and that FCC standards don't go far enough. …

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County Lobbying ABAG on Housing Allocations

Marin Supervisors send regional agency a letter raising questions about job and housing growth projections, city officials say the process has contributed to “an unfortunate atmosphere of county-wide mistrust and confrontation.”

The mailman for the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is getting a little extra work from Mill Valley and Marin County this week. On the same day the Marin County Board of Supervisors sent off a letter to ABAG questioning its job and housing projections for Marin and calling for an independent review of them, city of Mill Valley officials did the same, saying the process to determine how much new housing must be built in Mill Valley has lacked transparency and has contributed to “an unfortunate atmosphere of county-wide mistrust and confrontation.” In a letter to ABAG officials, Mayor Garry Lion said short time frames, incomplete information and difficult to comprehend numbers “have stymied our best efforts to be effective …

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Pat Ravasio

7:29 am on Saturday, April 28, 2012

Kinsey is a day late and a dollar short on this one. As president of the board of supervisors, Kinsey put the "priority development" of 2000 new housing units (5500 people) on the consent calendar for goodness sake! There would have been no public discussion ever if he had gotten his way. Could you please write about this so that people understand what has really been going on?   more ›

Comings and Goings

Is Business Heating Up?

What would you like to see in this space at the Bon Air Shopping Center in Greenbrae?

There's an empty seat near Noah's Bagels in the Bon Air Shopping Center. The busy shopping center currently has two available retail spaces, including this one at Suite No. 160. There's already a coffee shop, a diner, a bakery and a jeweler among the residents at Bon Air. But what business would you like to see take up permanent residence in the shopping center? Send us your suggestions here by writing in the comments section below.

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