Community Corner

Top Reads on Patch This Week

Check out some of the stories that Patch readers were buzzin' about

The single most read article this week was about the , which for the past three years has been under the leadership of Joe Noriel. Noriel has organized exhibits that have tackled fascinating topics like the Holocaust and the Vietnam War to the museum’s first ever Smithsonian exhibit about the galaxy.

But it has also lost money on every single show--$30,000 over the past two years--leading some to question the value of elaborate exhibits, especially those that are not “Petaluma centric.” What are your thoughts? Should the museum continue staging shows that are not explicitly about Petaluma’s history because they are bringing more people in? Why or why not?

Another story that got tongues waggin’ is the impending project to reduce Petaluma Boulevard from four lanes to two, from Washington to E Street. The city says this will reduce accidents by creating more of a buffer between parked cars and traffic, but many merchants say there will be no space for delivery trucks and that the resulting congestion will make residents less likely to shop there. They are also concerned about the construction work taking more than 3 months and stretching into the holiday season.

Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This week, , on top of the $160 million already paid for the facility and land acquisition. The claim stems from charges that Kiewit, the company that built the facility, lost money on the project. The company was seeking an additional $13.8 million, citing hundreds of change orders, delays, disruptions and “maladministration.”

The $3 million will come from a state loan and an additional $800,000 will come from savings from capital improvement program. Another 100,000 will come from two entities who did the work—Covello and Carollo Engineers, according to Mayor Dave Glass.

Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Have you checked out our column that runs every Thursday? In it we bring you tidbits from what’s happening with local businesses, who's opening, who's closing and most importantly who's hiring. This week, we learned that the owner of the Bank of America lot on Kentucky has started towing cars, prompting concern from residents who often parked at the spot when going out downtown.

Got other news or feedback you want to share? We love hearing from you. Just email karina@patch.com. And hey, have a great week!


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