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Saratogans save North Campus with votes, now with hammers

By Shannon Burkey

Saratoga voters came out in full force to save the North Campus when the threat to sell it loomed. And now those who lobbied to save it are being given another chance to help the North Campus in a different way--with hammers and paintbrushes in hand.

With renovations to the campus set to begin, the Saratoga Recreation Department is offering a series of three classes designed to give residents an opportunity to learn the basics of remodeling, renovating and painting while putting what they learn to use on the North Campus' administration building.

"We wanted to be able to organize--in a systematic fashion--some volunteer activity at the North Campus because we received a lot of inquiries from people wanting to help. We wanted to be able to offer that to people in a safe way," said Assistant City Manager Barbara Powell. "In doing it this way, we get our work done on North Campus and provide people with the opportunity to learn."

Seventy-five percent of the Saratogans who participated in the June 7 special election voted to keep the former Grace Methodist Church property that is known as the North Campus. At the time the city was considering selling the property to developer Majid "Mike" Masoumi for $6.75 million.

Since the election, many residents have expressed an interest in helping to repair and make improvements to the buildings that make up the North Campus in order to get them up and running for Saratogans to enjoy.

But for a volunteer effort to be effective, the city needed a systematic, organized way of putting volunteers to use.

"People wanted to help out and be a part of the renovations, but the city needed some way to organize the volunteers. This is a good way to do it," said Vice Mayor Ann Waltonsmith, who has enrolled in all three classes. "You can't just hand people hammers and say, 'Have at it.' The compromise was to have a class and get instruction."

The classes, being taught by David Medellin, a general contractor with more than 15 years' experience, will give people a hands-on opportunity to learn basic remodeling skills while working on the North Campus facility under the guidance of a seasoned professional. "There are a lot of things that need to be done, but these were areas that people in the community could get involved in," said Thomas Scott, facilities supervisor for the city.

The three classes being offered--"Demolition," "Prep for Painting" and "Painting"--are designed to work in succession as the students in one class will work on the building and prepare it for the next class to begin where they left off.

"Overall, this is a very knowledge-filled class, with individualized training for a small group of people," Scott said.

Once each class is finished, Medellin will assess whether the students completed all of the work that needed to be done to move on. If additional work is needed to complete the segment the class was working on, professionals will be brought in to complete it, costing the city additional money.

"With someone like David showing the citizens how to do the work and having them do it, a lot of it can be completed through these classes," Scott said. "The more people we have participating, the more work we can get done and the more money the city can save on the remodeling."

The city is anticipating the work on the administration building being finished in late spring. Depending on the response the classes garner, the city is considering holding classes on the renovation of the fellowship hall building on the campus as well.

"Fellowship Hall is a little more complicated, unlike the administration building, which needs more aesthetic improvements. But there are certain elements of fellowship hall that have been set aside for classes depending on the reception we get on the administration building," Scott said. "We are just trying to give the citizens of Saratoga the opportunity to come out and get involved in the renovation of the North Campus."

For more information on the classes, call 408.868.1249 or visit www.saratoga.ca.us/recreation.htm.