By Ken Striplin
City Manager
The holiday season is a time to be with loved ones, to give thanks and to partake in beloved holiday traditions. I want to wish all of the residents of Santa Clarita a joyous and festive holiday season.
I am thankful to have the opportunity to serve this great community as your city manager and I am thankful for the many projects, programs and amenities that provide the high quality of life we all enjoy. So let’s count down the 12 days of Christmas, Santa Clarita-style.
Day 1: Named the 1 Most Business Friendly City in Los Angeles County by BizFed.
Day 2: Two community centers filled with enriching activities for all ages.
Day 3: Three Santa Clarita Public Library Branches offering holiday festivities, books, eBooks, events and even passport services to make your 2019 vacation planning even easier.
Day 4: Four plus 30 parks, for a grand total of 34 parks for playing, exploring, picnicking and enjoying the beautiful outdoors Santa Clarita offers.
Day 5: 537 smart irrigation controls in landscaped medians and parks, which have collectively saved more than 2 billion gallons of water.
Day 6: Six new and upcoming projects that will have a positive impact on our community. The new Old Town Newhall Parking Structure; the almost complete Newhall Ranch Road Bridge Widening Project; the new Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, which is currently under construction; the new Canyon Country Community Center, which we will break ground on in the Spring; the city supported Senior Center that is taking shape, and the new and permanent Fire Station 104.
Day 7: Seven dedicated Crime Prevention Unit zone leaders and the entire Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station team, working hard every day to protect our residents and their valuables.
Day 8: An 88 percent excellent or good rating for Santa Clarita as a place to raise a family. The results from our 2018 Public Opinion Poll also showed that the city earned high marks as a great place to live (85 percent) and was rated excellent or good overall for quality of life in the city (83 percent). This is a tremendous indication of our overall impact in the City as perceived by our residents!
Day 9: 91 percent of construction and demolition debris from City projects has been recycled, totaling over 115,000 tons.
Day 10: More than 10,000 acres of beautiful, pristine and preserved Open Space, where the community will be able to hike, ride and explore for generations to come.
Day 11: $11 million to ensure that our City streets are smooth and safe as part of our annual slurry seal and overlay road preservation project, which improves roadways and extends their life.
Day 12: Drug Free Youth in the Santa Clarita Valley – better known as DFY in SCV, was launched in 2012. The program was formed to help address the growing drug epidemic and has engaged thousands of local students in a community wide, united fight against teen substance use and abuse.
All of these programs, projects and amenities add up to our amazing city. I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a very happy New Year.
