The council did not adopt a new ordinance or discover extra funds that it desperately needs. More importantly, it was the first time in the council's history that concerned residents filled the seats in the civic auditorium for a special meeting called to discuss the status of city-owned properties and future revenue sources.

It was a busy night for Mayor Nick Streit, Vice Mayor Ann Waltonsmith, and council members Kathleen King and Norman Kline (Stan Bogosian was ill), who all sat at eye level with the approximately 150-member audience. There were 20 properties, including all of the city's parks, undeveloped lands and the new Saratoga Library, on the night's agenda, but only half had been discussed by the time Streit adjourned the meeting at 11 p.m.

Community members raised a few concerns regarding some park amenities. Some residents requested an additional tennis court, trees and electricity at Azule Park, while others inquired about expanding the basketball half courts at Brookglen Park to full courts.

Turning to a larger-scale issue, Public Works Director John Cherbone presented a master plan implementation for Blaney Plaza, which currently houses the Memorial Arch, two large stone pine trees and benches. The plan entails adding landscaping features and architectural designs that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"We're trying to be sensitive to the historical nature of the plaza," Cherbone said.

He estimates the project would cost between $100,000 and $150,000.

At the meeting, resident Sandra Dodge inquired about putting a fishpond around the arch. Cherbone replied that adding flowers would be a more appropriate decision due to limited funds.

"However, that does not mean that we won't consider bringing aquatic life to the area in the future," Cherbone said.

A wish list for the city's Historical Park was also discussed. The designated park area is bounded by the Saratoga Historical Museum, the McWilliams House and the 76-year-old Village Library. According to Community Director Tom Sullivan, all three buildings are in need of repair, especially the vacated McWilliams House. The cost of repairs for these structures is estimated to be more than $60,000.

There were concerned residents who expressed interest in maintaining the parks, but controversy was centered around two main properties, the civic center and the North Campus facilities, both of which are in need of major renovations and funding sources.

According to City Manager Dave Anderson, all seven buildings in the civic center need some type of improvement. City hall, which is comprised of three main departments, needs new roofs, upgrades to the airflow system, safety access control systems and ADA-accessible doors. These alone would cost approximately $219,300.

Of the buildings, fixing the civic theater and the community room would be the more expensive projects. The civic theater, which is used by the city, the West Valley Light Opera and the Saratoga Drama Group, would need new roofing, refurbished seats, acoustical equipment, a multi-media support system and backstage restrooms and dressing rooms. The cost for these repairs and additions would be approximately $200,000, whereas it would cost $890,000 to completely remodel the community center to include a larger reception office, a new air-conditioning unit, new flooring and carpet, ceiling insulation and new lobby furniture.

"The community room is in fairly sound condition," Anderson said. "But things are coming apart due to age."

Several residents expressed concern about the traffic situation in the civic center's parking lot as well as along Fruitvale and Allendale avenues. Recreation Director Joan Pisani confirmed residents' observations.

"There have been problems with parking during peak times of the day, especially with parents picking up and dropping off their children at Redwood Middle School," she said.

During the meeting, Pisani unveiled a master plan that was drafted approximately seven years ago by a task force of 70 residents and professional architects. The plan entailed a two-story parking garage, a combined gym and multipurpose room with an attached teen center and a two-story community and senior facility. The cost for this project is estimated at $25.4 million.

According to Waltonsmith, the plan was to raise bonds to fund the project, but as the then council changed, so did enthusiasm for the master plan.

Youth commissioners Philip Baker and Jackie Luskey voiced their support for the master plan, in particular for the new community center.

"The Warner Hutton House is a great place, but it isn't meant to hold the number of people it holds every day," Luskey said. "It's showing signs of age and wear. The new facilities would provide options for teen activities."

Few showed interest in developing the civic center, but many groups eyed the North Campus facilities, formerly the Grace United Methodist Church, and urged the council not to sell the property, as discussed at an earlier city council meeting. The 2.62-acre property on Prospect Road was purchased in July 2002 by the previous council for $4.5 million behind closed doors due to legal arrangements.

"The intent was to move the senior center to the facility," Kline explained.

However, Saratoga Area Senior Service Committee board member John Fimster said that the seniors did not want to move into the new facility without first bringing the building up to code. This was a problem for the city because it did not have enough funds to make the necessary upgrades. Since the purchase, minor improvements have been made.

According to Pisani, the city would need to put in $1.5 million to bring the campus' fellowship hall, education and administration buildings up to code and to make them suitable for senior use.

Lane Johnson, a volunteer at the senior center, spoke before the council and expressed his continued support for the North Campus facility.

"The senior center holds lunches for informative speakers, exercising and computer classes," he said. "The services and numbers of people involved are growing and we are constrained by space. We would like to have a separate campus far from all the traffic to hold our activities. The North Campus fits our needs."

Fimster added that with more than 850 seniors enrolled and 37 activities, conflicts with other programs running simultaneously often occur.

"The North Campus's increased square footage of roughly 130 percent of what we currently have could be used effectively," Fimster said.

Chris Morris, who runs two basketball leagues, said he would like to see a multipurpose facility built at the North Campus facility. He said that the basketball half courts at the parks, which are not lighted, are not sufficient for the kids.

Several residents applauded the council for the purchase of North Campus.

"The city needs to make more and better facilities happen," said resident Fred Luminoso. "The city missed a lot of chances to buy property in the last 25 years. It can't miss any more chances in the future. We need to develop the North Campus property. Spending money on anything but the property—I just don't see it."

Many of the speakers urged the council to consider developing a master plan that includes the civic center and the North Campus properties.

"These properties give us extraordinary opportunities," said Jeff Shwartz. "We've seen the city and local school districts make long-term disastrous decisions to sell land for short-term profits. I hope the city doesn't do that with North Campus."

Paul Hernandez was the only resident who spoke against the facility during the meeting.

Hernandez said he initially thought it was a good idea to move the seniors, but realized that they should stay at the center of the city. To address the traffic issues along Fruitvale Avenue, he made a bold suggestion that sparked chatter in the room.

"The Heritage Orchard would be a nice place to put a building," he said. "We should sacrifice some of the orchard and put an access road off of Saratoga Avenue."

Whether the city decides to devise a new master plan that includes both properties, fix only the Civic Theater or renovate the North Campus facility, the issue of funding still remains.

"We're doing the best we can in being fiscally responsible," said Streit. "We're anticipating an $8 to $10 billion state deficit next year, but we have enough reserves set up for basic services. We have to make sure that the sheriffs are on the streets and that the streets are paved. Unfortunately, properties have suffered because of this."

At the meeting, former councilman Evan Baker commended the council for calling the special meeting and made a lengthy speech.

"This is a marvelous review of your asset portfolio," he said. "I hope this is a wake-up call to all the residents of Saratoga."

Baker said that although many properties in Saratoga are getting better, city-owned properties are not. He attributed this to the miniscule revenue the city gets from the state.

"We need to step back and think how much money over a 20-year period the city needs to raise to fix the infrastructure," he said. "We bit the bullet, put together a $15 million bond, and have a beautiful library. We need to bite the bullet again to raise an outside revenue source to carry out whatever master plan. If a property comes up in the future and we don't buy it, we're crazy."

King agreed to the idea of building a bond.

"We need to make major investments on all sides of the city," she said. "Are we willing to go out and do something like the library bond and get another 76 percent of the residents saying we should do something for the city?"

The meeting ended with 10 items left on the agenda. Council members said they might schedule another special meeting in the near future. However, some of the issues that were discussed will be on the agenda for the Oct. 15 city council meeting. In addition, the council will then decide whether an ad hoc committee needs to be formed.