Over the last several weeks, the city of Saratoga has been attempting to prioritize different areas where one-time improvements are most needed. About $2 million has been allocated this year for the city's capital improvement plan.

One of the highest priorities is safety on Highway 9. Two park projects, the Beauchamps Park Playground Safety Project and sewer lateral improvements at Congress Springs Park, were also given high priority.

Mayor Kathleen King said that the city was attempting to decide how to do the most with the least amount of money. "We made safety the number one priority," she said. "Then we looked at cost."

Two study sessions concerning the city's capital improvement plan were held on Oct. 5 and 18. At its regular meeting on Nov. 2, the Saratoga City Council listened to public input concerning the CIP. Jill Hunter of Saratoga spoke before the council.

Hunter, who is a founding member of the Saratoga Village Gardeners, asked that the city not put in new hedges at Blaney Plaza. Instead, she asked that the Village Gardeners be allowed to put in a flowerbed. She was also concerned with the Aloha Avenue and Highway 9 intersection. The city has temporarily banned left turns off Aloha Avenue onto the highway after an accident earlier in the year. The city is determining whether right turns should be banned as well, but Hunter said this would be detrimental to residents of Aloha Avenue.

New CIP projects will be submitted to the planning commission on Nov. 23 for approval. The last stage of determining which capital improvement projects will receive funding will be on Dec. 7. Public hearings will continue at that meeting before an updated CIP plan is submitted to the city council.

In other business, the city council reviewed an emergency preparedness status report prepared by City Manager Dave Anderson. Anderson directed the council on findings concerning the city's ability to respond to large-scale emergencies, such as an earthquake or a pandemic. He urged the city to sell a fast-charge natural gas refueling station used to fuel five city-owned natural gas vehicles.

"It's not practical to keep the fast charge system because the post office and UPS no longer use it," Anderson said. "It's an expensive system that's only being used for five vehicles." If there were a power outage during an emergency, the system would not function, Anderson explained.

He said selling that system and replacing it with a slow-charge fueling system that does not require an emergency back-up system would be more practical.

The city is also attempting to obtain its own radio frequency. Currently, the city uses a simplex radio system that it shares with other communities. "We're depending on the kindness of others," Anderson said, concerning the shared frequencies. By obtaining its own exclusive frequency, communication during a disaster could be facilitated, he said. Anderson will attend an emergency training exercise on Nov. 15 that focuses on communications.

Anderson emphasized that residents of Saratoga will have to be prepared to go up to one week without help in the case of a large-scale emergency. His report stated that residents should stock up on food, water and medical supplies in homes and businesses. Community Emergency Response Team training is also vital, he said. CERT training teaches individuals how to respond to community-wide disasters. In the last two years, 45 Saratogans have graduated from the program. The next CERT class will be held in January. Residents can sign up for CERT training with the Saratoga Recreation Department.