Celebrating the State of the City
By City Manager Ken Striplin
Each fall, we gather as a community to celebrate all the accomplishments of the past year at the annual State of the City event. It is an opportunity for the City Council to share with residents all the City has achieved on their behalf. This year’s event will be held on Thursday, October 27, at the Canyon Country Community Center beginning at 3:00 p.m. Residents will hear directly from the City Council, see video highlights, enjoy light snacks from the Farmers Market, get a commemorative gift and then enjoy happy hour on the Terrace.
Guests to the State of the City will learn about the progress made on our strategic plan – Santa Clarita 2025 (SC 2025). Some highlights include funding operations and maintenance at the new Canyon Country Community Center, a Mobile Command Unit for emergencies, the design of new parks and continued construction of the Sand Canyon Trail. I know our community is looking forward to the completion of the Central Park Buildout, which will bring an additional four fields, the new inclusive play area at West Creek Park, a second bike park and even a roller rink. In addition, we are working toward enhancements at David March Park, expanding Canyon Country Park, a new park at Via Princessa and we continue to coordinate with Los Angeles County to get ownership of the beautiful and historic William S. Hart Park in Old Town Newhall.
In addition to these current projects, we will also celebrate the history of Santa Clarita. The theme for this year’s State of the City is “Celebrating 35 Years of Cityhood.” It is incredible to think how much we have accomplished, thanks to the leadership of the City Council, over the last three and a half decades. Santa Clarita went from just 7 parks at the time of incorporation – and with this year’s addition of Vista Canyon Park – we now boast 36 incredible parks. Cityhood has allowed Santa Clarita to create 100 miles of off-street trails, more than 13,000 acres of preserved open space, three Metrolink Stations, three libraries, two community centers, anti-drug programs for youth, hundreds of sports and recreation programs, the Aquatic Center, Santa Clarita Sports Complex, Skatepark, The Cube, Trek Bike Park of Santa Clarita, traffic and road improvements – just to name a few achievements.
You can purchase tickets to attend the 2022 State of the City event at santa-clarita.com. Tickets are $35 for individual seats and $400 for a table of 10. If you are unable to attend in person, do not worry. The entire State of the City presentation will be streamed live on the City of Santa Clarita’s Facebook page and broadcast on SCVTV channel 20.
This event is a great opportunity to find out what is going on in your City and celebrate the achievements of the last 35 years. I look forward to seeing you at State of the City!
Ken Striplin is the City Manager for the City of Santa Clarita and can be reached at kstriplin@santaclarita.gov
