Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, 1001 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo, has announced it will close its iconic wooden roller coaster, Roar, on Aug. 16.

Guests can ride Roar for the last time from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. that day, after which it will be closed permanently, said Don McCoy, park president.

“We are a dynamic and evolving entertainment venue,” McCoy said. “Although Roar continues to be a guest favorite, sometimes hard choices must be made to allow for future expansion.”

Named after a sea lion’s call, Roar opened in 1999 during a remodeling of the park, when the company added shows, shops, other attractions and restaurants.

Since that time about 11 million guests have ridden the 10-story, 3,467-foot-long roller coaster that sends riders along six reversals, 22 crossovers, 17 turns and 12 drops at 55 mph.

Park officials have not said what will replace Roar.

McCoy said the park will have “a special fond farewell to Roar,” with a series of events for guests and season pass holders, the highlight of which will be a special last rider event Aug. 16, planned to coincide with National Roller Coaster Day.

Those interested may visit the website www.sixflags.com.

Raley’s sole recipient of 7 EPA certifications

For the seventh consecutive year, a store in the Raley’s company has received the Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Partnership Gold Level certification. The store, in Petaluma, is the only one in the nation to have that record, sad Tom Land, manager of the EPA GreenChill partnership.

Benicia also has a Raley’s supermarket, and it, too, is among those in the company to receive GreenChill Partnership Gold Level certification.

“Raley’s should be very proud of the accomplishment,” Land said. “People want to do business with stores that share their environmental values. By dedicating itself to GreenChill standards, Raley’s demonstrates to its customers and communities an interest in saving our Earth’s ozone layer and fighting climate change.”

The Raley’s company joined the EPA’s GreenChill Partnership in 2009. It has voluntarily reduced its emissions rate by more than 10 percent. The Petaluma store, Raley’s pilot GreenChill pilot store, was the first in the state and second in the nation to receive GreenChill Gold Level Certification for innovative refrigeration technology.

Since 2009, other Raley’s/Bel Air/Nob Hill locations, in San Jose, Tracy and Benicia, have been recognized by the GreenChill Partnership for advancements in high-efficiency refrigeration systems. “Refrigeration in grocery stores is the largest use of energy and has the most impact on our environment,” said Meg Burritt, Raley’s director of wellness and sustainability.

“The older refrigerants used in stores cause the highest amount of damage to the ozone. At Raley’s, we have moved forward in replacing over 90 percent of older ozone-depleting refrigerants.

“Our Petaluma store is one of our flagship stores that is not only energy efficient but is also a hybrid system that has reduced its refrigerant load by 75 percent and added a secondary refrigerant that does not damage the environment at all,” she said.

The GreenChill Partnership estimates that refrigerants commonly used in supermarket systems can be as much as 4,000 times worse for climate change than carbon dioxide, with a typical supermarket leaking about 1,000 pounds of refrigerant gases into the atmosphere every year.

GreenChill stores have much lower leak rates. Raley’s Petaluma store’s system, designed by Raley’s, has had no leaks of refrigerant in seven years, Burritt said.

Those interested in EPA’s GreenChill Partnership and its store certification program may visit www2.epa.gov/greenchill.

The Benicia Herald’s weekly Benicia Business Beat column is an opportunity for local businesses and companies to tell our readers about business-oriented news, such as moves, grand openings, awards, promotion of employees, staff changes and changes in goods and services.

Submissions will be edited for length and content; and need to answer the questions who, what, when, where, why and how, preferably in the body of an email; and provide contact information.

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