This Sunday, Dec. 15, the city of Santa Clarita will mark its 37th birthday. Back in 1987, the city of Santa Clarita became the largest area ever to incorporate. Our new city was 39-square-miles and included the communities of Saugus, Newhall, Valencia and Canyon Country. Since then, more than 30 neighborhoods have annexed to the city, making Santa Clarita over 70-square-miles and the third largest city in Los Angeles County.

Over the last 37 years, cityhood has resulted in millions of dollars remaining in our community. Our city budget that first year was under $30 million, which is in stark comparison to this fiscal year’s budget of $342 million. These funds have enabled the city to provide new facilities, programs and services our residents want. Some of these amenities include: 38 parks, more than 100 miles of off-street trails, more than 13,000 acres of preserved open space, three Metrolink stations, three Libraries, three community centers, anti-drug programs for youth, hundreds of sports and recreation programs, the Aquatic Center, Skatepark, The Cube, Bike Park, traffic and road improvements and all of these are just a few of our achievements over the last three-plus decades.

As we celebrate this milestone, we also have many major projects in the works. Earlier this month our City Council hosted the grand opening of our third community center. The Valencia Community Center now resides in the former YMCA building at Summit Park. Make sure to check out the social media videos of the grand opening so you can see the belly flop competition which took place in our city’s first indoor pool. Over at Central Park, work continues on the River of Lights project. This project is going to bring a new landmark to our city, with LED lights that will stream down the hillside, along the exercise staircase, through the plaza and to the new art piece. The color changing lights will mimic the look of flowing water, and will be illuminated in a variety of colors in conjunction with holidays and events throughout the year.

Next summer will mark the transition of William S. Hart Park from the County of Los Angeles to our city. This process has been a long time coming and much-anticipated by our residents. With the transfer of the historic Park, the city will soon handle operations and oversee the 160-acres which include a herd of bison, hiking trails, the Hart Mansion/Museum, historic structures, a barnyard, campground and more. With William S. Hart Park as a City Park, there will be opportunities for enhanced programming, new additions to the popular Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival and more ways to celebrate our community’s rich, western heritage.

Santa Clarita is a unique and special community that has truly lived up to the vision of our city founders. I am proud of our organization’s work over the past 37 years, thanks to the devoted leadership of our City Council. We will continue to provide our residents with top-notch customer service and high-quality city resources. Please join me in wishing Santa Clarita a Happy 37th Birthday, and to all of you…happy holidays.

Ken Striplin is the City Manager for the City of Santa Clarita and can be reached at kstriplin@santaclarita.gov.