The city of Saratoga, in some tentative steps toward a revitalized downtown, will start offering a free shuttle service from the Village to Villa Montalvo on concert nights from that date on.

Concertgoers will have to dine at a restaurant in the Village or check into a local inn to get the free shuttle passes. The free shuttle program will operate until the end of the concert season in September.

"There will be two shuttle stops in the Village—one near the Bella Saratoga area and another farther back, near Sent Sovi restaurant," said Danielle Surdin, the economic development coordinator for the city of Saratoga. The two stops will be identified by A-frame signs indicating the free shuttle ride.

"I have worked with local merchants and Villa Montalvo, and they are all very excited about the shuttle program," said Surdin.

The first shuttle will leave the Village about two hours before the concert and the last one about 15 minutes before the start of the concert. "The shuttle will do three round trips in the course of a evening," said Surdin.

At Villa Montalvo, there will be two designated spots for shuttle stops—one for returning to the Village, the other for the concertgoers who have parked at West Valley College.

"The additional pickup area is great. It will have less of an impact on West Valley," said Ted Russell, director of marketing at Villa Montalvo.

"I think the main difference is going to be for the restaurants and the ease and convenience of post-concert entertainment in the Village," said Ted Russell, director of marketing at Villa Montalvo.

Surdin indicated that some restaurants in the area are planning some special late-night desserts and other items.

Twenty-four people can be accommodated on one shuttle trip. At the end of the evening, the bus driver will collect all the passes and return them to the city to be redistributed to the restaurants.

"We are ironing the kinks out in the program. Many merchants are planning to stay open after hours. All participating merchants will have a 'free shuttle' sign out in the front," said Surdin.

She said parking in the Village would not be an issue—that there would be plenty of parking for concertgoers.

The city is spending about $10,000 on the shuttle-service promotion. The funds were used before by the city to print the concert programs.

The city of Saratoga will soon have a website to promote the free shuttle. Brochures are being given out by the city, which will soon start advertising on the radio. A monthly giveaway prize on the radio will include two concert tickets, dinner for two and an evening at a local inn.

Surdin said this was the first step in packaging the city's commercial and cultural assets to residents.