Saratoga News
News
Council allocates $500,000 to renovate North Campus
By Shannon Burkey
Four years after the city of Saratoga purchased the North Campus facility that has sparked numerous heated debates in the community, the city has finally made a decision on its fate.
At the July 19 city council meeting, members voted unanimously to allocate $500,000 to the make repairs and improvements to the facility to get it up and running for Saratoga residents to finally enjoy.
Nearly two months after the Measure J vote, in which 75 percent of the voters supported taking North Campus off the market and saving it for the people of Saratoga, renovations may soon begin.
The recreation department presented council members with four levels of improvements ranging from $80,000 for the low end of level 1, all the way up to $1,448,000 for the highest level 4 improvements.
In the end, the council decided on an amount in between levels 3 and 4 but will be working off of the level 3 improvement recommendations.
Since the full amount of level 3, which ranges from $556,000 to $656,000, was not all allocated, Mayor Norman Kline said that they will have to prioritize the needs but that level 3 is what they are going for.
The council members are also hoping to receive support from the community.
"On a project this big, we're hoping some citizens may help out with some of the amenities so that we might be able to do more with the money, or maybe they will come out for painting parties," Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith said.
Under the level 3 improvement plan, both the administration building and fellowship hall would have major work done to allow for an increased use of both buildings. Included would be the installation of wood flooring and acoustic enhancements in the fellowship hall, and the education building would be converted to a dry storage area with minimal on-site staffing.
Additional improvements would include all new appliances in the kitchen, an electrical system upgrade for the entire campus, landscape maintenance and restoration of the picnic areas.
With the possibly of having the buildings in use soon, many people showed up to the meeting to voice their preferences for the building.
"The seniors need a place where they can hang out," said Jo Trimball, a Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council board member. "The senior center is not big enough for us anymore and we would love to use North Campus for our classes."
Trimball said most of the senior classes are in the morning or early afternoon, and that would leave plenty of time for other groups, such as teens, to use the campus. She said it would be the "perfect match."
Several members of the Saratoga Youth Commission also expressed an interest in the facilities for a teen center. In the past two years, the teens have used the Warren Hutton House as a teen center, but when renovations began on the house, the teens had to begin looking for an alternate space for the many events they host.
"North Campus is like a golden egg that came at the right time," said Adam Henig, city liaison for the Saratoga Youth Commission.
"We are not looking to have it seven days a week, even one day a week would be OK."
Council members hope to fast-track the project and said that it could be ready in as little as six months.
