By Carolyn Leal
Possible formation of a Business Improvement District in Saratoga will be on the agenda during a Town Hall meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Senior Day Care Center, 19655 Allendale Ave.
The proposed district could serve as a funding tool to improve Saratoga's image and shopping environment, according to Dave Kilbourne of Chico, a consultant hired by the City of Saratoga to help plot a marketing program to entice more shoppers here.
Kilborne said the main topic to be discussed is a marketing strategy and theme that embraces all businesses in Saratoga, not just the downtown.
Kilbourne has surveyed Saratogans about what they find most attractive about the city.
"There's a tremendous amount of community appreciation for the beauty of Saratoga, the quaintness of it, the small, village-like ambiance and the setting," he said.
"Citizens also appreciate Saratoga's commitment to culture and the arts," Kilbourne added. "And the wonderful conglomeration of five-star restaurants is a tremendous selling point. Our goal at this point to to try to bring those wonderful characteristics together into a market strategy."
Citizens were asked to identify the three most positive attributes of the community and to identify three shortcomings, Kilbourne said. Citizens also were asked to pinpoint civic beautification projects and programs they'd like to see implemented. The results of these surveys will be discussed at the meeting.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, April 17, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved