However, before the city decides on how to spend the money, council members must vote on who would use the facility and if they would need to spend any money at all should it be sold to another owner.

Selling the North Campus on Prospect Road, once the Grace United Methodist Church, was one of the four options discussed at the June 18 city council meeting. According to the a staff report prepared by the city's recreation director, Joan Pisani, the money received from the transaction would be added to the city's unallocated reserve and used for other city purposes.

Community members at the meeting stepped up to the podium, voicing opposition to the possible sale of the facility.

"One of the best things that the last council did was buy the facility," said Erna Jackman, who was the former chairwoman for the planning commission. "One of the best things that this council could do is keep the facility."

Jackman said that the facility would be a solution to the poorly conditioned community room where adults and seniors have their activities. It would also provide a place where children and other community groups can hold their events. She added that the council was lucky to have the building and that the chances of finding another property as large as North Campus would be very slim.

Resident Vic Monia was also present and stated that the city would need a lot of land to accommodate a growing population.

"We all have a lot invested in this community," he said. "The facility would be a valuable asset to the town."

Although only three people in the audience spoke, council members received letters from the public, urging them not to sell the property.

"In the past, Saratoga passed up numerous opportunities to purchase valuable properties," resident Marcia Fariss stated in a letter. "Several of those properties could have been converted to badly needed parks and sports fields."

Jack Mallory, a former council member, stated ways in which the facility could be used.

"I urge the city council and other city functions to hold some of your weekly official meetings in the new facility," he said.

By doing this, Mallory said that it would show residents in the northern section of the city that the council members are interested in their concerns and perhaps encourage more residents to get involved with city council meetings.

Vice Mayor Ann Waltonsmith said she is not in favor of selling the property, because the city does not have as much public land compared with other areas. However, she said she would rather spend $150,000 to complete improvements in the Fellowship Hall, one of the three buildings at the site.

"This is an excellent general-use facility," she said.

The Fellowship Hall is not in adequate condition. If decided upon, the $150,000 would cover the costs of installing accessible restrooms and doors, painting and laying down new floors and installing acoustical ceiling tiles.

A third option for the future use of the facility is to invest a substantial amount of money to bring the building up to code and to provide necessary amenities suitable for senior center programs. The estimated cost to renovate the building is $1,091,000.

According to Waltonsmith, the council purchased the property in July 2002 with the intention of relocating the Senior and Adult Day Care Center to North Campus. However, because of limited funds, council members decided to hold off on making any improvements.

David Elgart, who is the president of the Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council, said he would like to discuss the possibility of using the facility for senior purposes. He said seniors, especially those in the exercising classes, would be grateful to have a larger facility.

"The seniors need more room to move around freely," he said. "Sometimes it's even difficult to swing their arms without touching their neighbors."

Instead, council directed staff to complete minor improvements to the administrative building for public use. To date, records show that the administrative building has been booked 250 times with a rental revenue of $11, 081.

After discussion, Waltonsmith, along with Mayor Nick Streit and council members Norman Kline, Kathleen King and Stan Bogosian, voted to go with the fourth option, which is to keep the property as is until further public discussion. In this option, the city will spend a yearly cost of $80,000 to maintain the property and will continue to receive a rental revenue of approximately $10,000.

Bogosian added that he would like to see an advisory task force set up to help give direction, focus and structure in the decision-making process.

Council members said they plan to hold another public discussion in September regarding the future use of the North Campus.