Petaluma River News

The money went to North Bay Ferry Service of Larkspur, which is owned by Skip Berg, a former owner of Infineon Raceway who also owns the Port Sonoma marina. The port sits on the Petaluma River at the Sonoma and Napa County lines, near the race track. None of the major transportation agencies in the area were made aware of the grant, including the Bay Area Water Transit Authority, which is developing a comprehensive ferry system for the region. The project still needs to clear other hurdles, as apparently other ferry service plans from Port Sonoma have been declined due to environmental concerns. If the project proceeds as planned, it should launch in 2009 or 2010.

The Eva Joan, the newest barge of Petaluma sand and gravel importer Landing Way Depot, remains stuck in San Francisco Bay after suffering damage July 4, according to the Petaluma Argus-Courier. The barge was launched in the Petaluma River in early June but began taking on water while returning from its maiden voyage with 3,000 tons of Canadian sand offloaded from an ocean freighter. The sand was transferred to another barge and the Eva Joan was towed to a marina in Alameda while naval architects try to determine what went wrong. (Source: Petaluma Argus-Courier)