There is a lot happening at City Hall this year and plenty more on the horizon!

I'm very pleased to announce that United States Senator Dianne Feinstein will visit Santa Clarita to give a “Washington Report” on Tuesday, October 9, 2007. The Senator will speak at 12:00 noon during a luncheon at the Hyatt Valencia. We are honored and delighted that Senator Feinstein is taking time out of her busy schedule to address her constituents here in Santa Clarita. The luncheon cost is $40 per person and is open to the public. Check-in will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Valencia which is located at 24500 Town Center Drive. Seating is limited. To RSVP, call the City of Santa Clarita at (661) 255-4900.

As you may know, the City's annual budget was adopted by the City Council and went into effect July 1. This year, the City Council is doing much to expand recreational facilities within the City by allocating over $2.4 million for grading to begin the Sports Complex expansion. The completion of the 18,000 square foot gymnasium, site design and construction of the new expanded skate park, outdoor basketball courts and multi-use athletic fields is estimated at $16.1 million.

In addition to the Sports Complex expansion, this year the City Council also designated $2.2 million for design of the Central Park Recreation Center, which is anticipated to be completed with the year. This expanded Central Park project will include a recreation center, gym, recreation pool, completion of the outdoor basketball area, perimeter trail/cross country course, parking, landscaping and other amenities. Construction costs for this entire project are estimated at $23 million.

This year we will also add to our parks inventory with the completion of Todd Longshore Park off of Whites Canyon within the Canyon Country community. This park will be open for the public's enjoyment within the next few months.

Location filming continues to be a strong economic driver here in Santa Clarita. The City estimates that over $21 million was spent at local businesses last fiscal year from location filming and over $400 million is paid to Santa Clarita Valley residents every year who work for the seven major film studios that make up the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). More than half of the Santa Clarita Valley residents who work in the film industry commute outside of Santa Clarita to work. The City is working to attract the film industry to Santa Clarita for the high-paying high-quality jobs and to help our residents work locally, without having to commute, thereby reducing traffic congestion.

This October, the City will be hosting “OAKtober,” a special month-long series of events designed to help educate the community about the care of their oak trees. Two free oak tree seminars will be held at 6:30 p.m. on October 15 at Masters College, and on October 17 at Robinson Ranch Golf Course. Free informational packets and a presentation by certified arborists will be offered. Then, on Saturday, October 27, a special volunteer oak tree planting will commence across the street from Valencia Heritage Park at 10 a.m. For more information about OAKtober, call the City at 661-294-2567.

Thank you for your interest in Santa Clarita. I appreciate your taking time to learn more about what is happening in our great City!

Best Regards,
Ken Pulskamp