Construction
Site preparation for new academic center at College of Marin in Kentfield has begun. Many administrative and faculty offices, including the superintendent-president's offices, will be moved from Harlan Center and the old administrative center to swing space primarily located in the old Austin Science Building. Some offices, including the Child Study Center and Human Resources, will move later this spring. The site preparation will continue through summer 2013 and will entail large-scale demolition of obsolete buildings, including Olney Hall, Harlan Center and the Administrative Center; and removal of shrubs and some trees. Considerable effort has been made to preserve or transplant as many healthy trees as possible, with particular emphasis on several large native specimens. A new 43,000-square-foot academic center will be built on the site at the corner of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and College Avenue. It will house 16 general-purpose classrooms and cost about $23 million. In April 2010, the board of trustees selected TLCD Architecture and Mark Cavagnero Associates Architects to design the project.Nonprofits
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of one of the largest residential real estate services company in the Bay Area, raised $95,570 for Habitat for Humanity in Northern California during the company's annual fundraising campaign. A month-long raffle held throughout Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage's 62 Northern California offices. Entitled "Homes and Hope," the campaign was the company's 14th annual fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income families build their own homes.Retail
Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner's Office, in collaboration with the county Department of Health Services and the University of California Cooperative Extension, announced the launch of an online program (secure.sonoma-county.org/agcomm/produce_gardener) to allow local gardeners to sell or donate their eligible produce. The online self-certification program supports goals outlined in the Sonoma County Healthy and Sustainable Food Action Plan and reflects the county's ongoing commitment to supporting locally grown healthy foods and increasing access for consumers. Holders of an Approved Produce Gardener Certificate will be able to legally sell or donate produce from school gardens, community gardens and home gardens in compliance with the California Code of Regulations.
Petaluma-based Emma at Home (emmahome.com), retailer of modern home decor by Emma Gardner, has partnered with International Checkout to handle the retailer's operational aspects of serving online customers outside the U.S. International Checkout will manage international shipping, customs documentation, compliance, clearance, currency conversion, customer service and returns for the 2-year-old brand. Online consumers overseas can now click the International Checkout website button to complete purchases.
