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Business & Tech

Farmer's Market Wraps Up its Season, Additional Funding for Economic Development and Other Top Business Stories

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The Petaluma Farmers’ Market will host its last day this Saturday, wrapping up a good year that got a late start because of rain.

“Because of the late spring and relatively good weather [in October], there’s still more fresh produce here,” said Market Manager Erica Burns-Gormon. “The farmers are still in full force, but other sellers, like crafters and bakers, are pulling back.”

The farmers' market operated at full capacity for most of the season, with 26 vendors a day selling everything from produce to pastries and crafts. That number has dropped off to about 17 vendors a day in the last two weeks, as sellers turn their attention to business plans for the winter months.

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All of the produce from the vendors at the market comes from within a 50 mile radius, with 99 percent coming directly from Sonoma County, according to Burns-Gormon. 

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On Tuesday, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors endorsed a plan to spend an additional $600,000 to support the Economic Development Board and other departments in an effort to boost businesses growth in the county.

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“We’re taking aim at the major issues businesses are having in Sonoma County,” said Ben Stone, executive director of the Economic Development Board. “The idea is to take out the major impediments to businesses to have a better environment.”

The EDB cites eight initiatives that would help commercial growth and help bring down the 9.4 percent unemployment rate in the county.

The initiatives range from speeding up the permitting process to investing in improving the county work force, which many businesses have said don’t align with their needs, according to Stone. The report also recommends adding three people to the EDB staff and one position for the county’s Permit and Resource Management Department.

Read the report on the right

Other improvements include marketing the county to better attract businesses as well as stimulate development of broadband Internet connections in rural areas on the county.

While the plan has been approved, funding hasn’t, with a vote set for January. In the first year, the plan will cost $300,000 to $350,000, but should run about $600,000 annually after that, according to the report. The EDB has already secured a $50,000 grant from the Morgan Family Foundation, but those funds must be matched by the county.

The plan is use monies from the Transient Occupancy Tax Funds (TOT), sometimes called the “bed tax” or “hotel tax,” to fund the program in the short-term, while-long-term funding solutions are figured out, according to Stone.

There are extra funds in TOT, according to Stone. TOT was set up to promote Sonoma County activities in general, so the Board can route funds from it to use for promoting business interests.

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Oilstop, a place where drivers can get a quick oil change and a car wash, will take over the space formally occupied by offices for WaterSavers Irrigation at 1004 Lakeville St.

The space is currently waiting city and county approval and should open sometime next year, said Brian Foster, vice president of Cassidy Turley, a commercial real estate company that's handling the sale.

“It compliments what’s at that interchange,” said Foster. “It seems to be a really good fit.”

The Oilstop will be the second in town, with the other located on East Washington Street near Whole Foods.

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