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Home My WebLink About102-Attachment A:The Saratogan 2009 fall issue.pdfSaratoganTheCITY o f S A RATOG A CALIF O R N I A1956 Fall 2009 Investing in Saratoga The City of Saratoga is proud to be home to many small, locally-owned businesses that offer a great selection of goods and services. Small businesses are an important part of the City’s economic health and provide a number of benefits to the community. Small businesses help keep money in the community. Making a purchase at a locally-owned store means your dollars are more likely to be spent on products or services provided by other local businesses and professionals. Additionally, shopping in Saratoga ensures that sales taxes will fund services in Saratoga such as park maintenance, road repairs, and law enforcement. Consumers pay sales tax in every city. The taxes collected in Saratoga directly benefit our community. Shopping locally is a great way to invest in Saratoga. Read more about preserving Saratoga’s economic vitality in this issue of The Saratogan. ••Business License Basics•• If you own or are thinking of starting a business in Saratoga, you’ll need a business license. More information can be found below. ••Village Façade Improvement Program•• Learn about the City’s efforts to encourage private investment in the downtown area and beautify the Village on page 2. ••Annual Tree Lighting & Village Open House•• Support local business by starting your holiday shopping at the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Village Open House. Read more on page 2. Saratoga Village, photo by www.venzfinephoto.com Business License 101 Starting a business? The City of Saratoga requires all businesses located in or operating in Saratoga to have a license issued by the City. This includes retail stores, contractors, and home businesses. Licenses allow the City to regulate businesses in Saratoga. Home-based business owners are sometimes unaware that they need a business license. Any resident who establishes a business, whether by registering a fictitious business name, getting a seller’s permit, or performing contract work, needs to apply for a license. The application process takes about two weeks, and the City charges a minimal business license fee. Revenues from license fees help fund infrastructure and services such as road maintenance and law enforcement that benefit businesses and customers alike. For more information about business licenses, visit www.saratoga.ca.us. Village Façade Improvement Program In an effort to encourage private investment in Saratoga Village while beautifying the downtown area, the City offers a matching grant to businesses and property owners for façade improvements to storefronts in the Village that are visible from Big Basin Way. Grants cover 50% of the project costs up to $5,000. Projects eligible for grant funds include new exterior paint, installation of an awning, improvements to sidewalk seating areas, new signage, enhancements to windows and doors, and installation of exterior plant boxes. Grants are awarded on a first come first served basis. Since the program was first adopted in 2004 and funded again in 2007, it has supported the investment of over $620,000 in improvements to the Village. Just over $50,000 of that has been grant money provided by the City. For more information about this grant program, visit www.saratoga.ca.us/about/village/default.asp. Tree Lighting Ceremony and Village Open House Saratoga residents are invited to the 8th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Village Open House on November 27, 2009 at Blaney Plaza at 5:30 p.m. Sponsored by the City of Saratoga and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, the Tree Lighting Ceremony is a festive way for families to mark the start of the holiday season. The event will start at 5:30 p.m. with welcoming remarks from the Mayor and carols performed by students from Blue Hills Elementary and Sacred Heart. Immediately following the tree lighting ceremony, the Village Open House will give residents a chance to discover all that Saratoga businesses have to offer. Stores throughout the Village will be open for extended hours from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for residents to get started on holiday shopping. Many businesses offer free samples or hot drinks to keep shoppers warm as they explore the Village. Additional activities include: Caroling• Wagon and pony rides• Petting zoo• Other entertainment will also be featured along Big Basin Way. • For more information, call (408) 868-1269 or (408) 867-0753. Big Basin Way in Saratoga, photo taken by Ron Leckie Ask Jana Got Code Enforcement questions? Ask Jana! Send your questions to Jana Rinaldi at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga CA 95070 or by email to jrinaldi@saratoga.ca.us. Pete, Per our municipal code, you are not required to get a building permit for your patio as long as it is: Open• Unenclosed• Uncovered • No more than four feet above • ground level If you have any questions about your patio, you can always stop by the Building Counter Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The Building Jana, My neighbor has an awful pool pump than runs at all hours of the night. It’s so loud that it keeps us up all night. Are there any rules to regulate the noise generated by pool pumps? Sleepless in Saratoga Dear Sleepless, The City Code regulates noise from pools and spas. Equipment that is within 25 feet of a side property line can only be operated between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Additionally, noise from pool or spa equipment cannot exceed 50 decibels, 25 feet from the source of the noise. If you think your neighbor is in violation of this rule, contact me at (408) 868-1214. Jana Dear Jana, I’d like to build a patio in my backyard. This will be the first time I build anything like this and I saw in the last issue of The Saratogan that building permits are required for a lot of work. Do I need any permits to construct a patio? Thanks, Patio Pete New City Website Goes Live! The City of Saratoga’s new website is up and running! The site is intended to be easier to use and improve communication between residents and the City. New features include: Calendar of City meetings & community • events Easy to use search tool• Email subscriptions• Improved navigation and organization of pages• Low graphics version for visually impaired or • mobile users News alerts through RSS feeds• Site map• Explore the new website at www.saratoga.ca.us. Counter is located at City Hall at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga. Jana Postal Customer Local PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Saratoga, CA Permit No. 136 ECRWSS The Saratogan 13777 Fruitvale Avenue Saratoga, CA 95070 CIT Y o f S ARATO G A CALIFO R N I A1956 Got ideas? Send story ideas or comments about The Saratogan to Crystal Morrow at cmorrow@saratoga.ca.us or (408) 868-1275. North Campus Open House Renovations to the North Campus have been finished! The City will be celebrating completion of the work during an open house on October 23, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. at the North Campus, which is located at 19848 Prospect Road in Saratoga. The event is open to the public and will feature live music, refreshments, and more. Purchased in 2002, the City has been making improvements to the 2.6 acre site in phases. The first stage of work started in 2007 with improvements to the Administration Building, which is primarily used for meetings and recreation classes. The second phase of work started last year with renovations to Fellowship Hall. The improvements to the building include a new hardwood floor, a kitchen, fully accessible bathrooms, and more. This work has also included demolition of two unusable buildings on the property, which have been replaced with new landscaping. The City was able to make the improvements to Fellowship Hall thanks to a generous donation from the House Family Foundation, which was administered by the Saratoga-Monte Sereno Community Foundation. The City is looking for a new name for the North Campus. Submit your ideas online at www.saratoga.ca.us by October 23, 2009!Fellowship Hall at the North Campus Enroll for Fall Recreation Class! This fall, the City of Saratoga Recreation Department has classes for all ages and all interests. Youth programs include My First Art Class, which begins November 20th and runs through December 18th, as well as Camp Winter Wonderland that will be held at the Joan Pisani Community Center over the holiday break for children between 3.5 years to 10 years old. Some of the exciting adult programs include Salsa & Ladies Latin Styling with Agnes beginning November 9th and Brewing 101 at St. Stan’s Brewing Company in downtown Saratoga starting November 7th. For more information, visit http://www.saratoga.ca.us/cityhall/rec/default.asp or call (408) 868-1249. E-Waste Drop Off — Electronics such as computers, monitors, televisions, fax machines, printers, copiers, stereos, phones, and cameras all can contain toxic chemicals and compounds that should not be thrown in the trash. West Valley Collection & Recycling will be offering a free E-Waste drop-off event for residents to get rid of unwanted electronics from 9am to 2pm on Saturday, October 24th, 2009. The drop-off is located at the City of Saratoga’s North Campus located at 19848 Prospect Road in Saratoga.