The city-owned 500-square-foot building, which was occupied by the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce for the past 27 years, is in dire need of both exterior and interior repairs.

At the city council meeting held Feb. 19, Joan Pisani, the city's recreation director, addressed some major repair issues concerning the 138-year-old building. The repairs, estimated at approximately $10,000, include painting the entire exterior of the building, replacing the steps for the front and back porches, fixing a drainage problem and replacing the siding on the back of the house.

"The house is obviously in poor condition," Pisani said.

Councilman Norman Kline agreed with Pisani, saying that the house looks like it is going to break down.

"I am proud of the Chamber for staying there so long under those conditions," he added.

Kristin Davis, executive director for the Chamber, said she is also amazed at how long she and the staff tolerated the building.

"We didn't have much of a choice," she said. "We tried to make the best of our situation. The conditions were unacceptable, and we always hoped the city would make the necessary improvements."

Davis claimed that the city was well aware of the issues but failed to do much about it. However, after a long-awaited inspection from the city manager, plumbers came to fix the pipe leaks and secured the boards for the porch steps.

Although the council members agreed that the house needs major repairs, they did not consider these repairs to be urgent, except for the water drainage issue.

The house does not have a drainage system around it, which means that when it rains, water flows directly toward and under the house.

Council members voted 3-0 to allocate $1,500 to set up and waterproof a drainage system. Members decided to hold off on the rest of the repairs until a master plan is established.

"I would prefer to take care of the most important things first," Kline said. "I don't want to do a haphazard job. I want to do it right."

The next city council meeting is on March 5 at the Saratoga Civic Theater.