Greetings and Happy New Year!

As we begin our new year, I would like to share with you some of the programs and projects your City is working on in the coming year.

This year, the City’s big capital project is the construction of the new and larger Old Town Newhall Library.  The 30,000 square foot new library, located at the corner of Lyons and Main Street, will be state-of-the-art with 74 public use computers, a children’s library, community meeting areas and even a fireplace for small gatherings.  The two-story library is really taking shape.  You can watch the library construction progress via our “library cam” at http://scvtv.com/html/webcam-citynewhalllibrary.html.  Look for the grand opening later this year.

Over the last year, our City has been working with the school districts, area non-profit organizations and community volunteers to communicate the devastating impact of heroin use by young people.  Over a two year period, we saw nine deaths in our community.  Our local drug treatment centers tell us that heroin addiction and the need for treatment has risen dramatically.  The City launched a website – www.heroinkills.org – to provide community information and help to stem the tide of heroin use.  If you would like to learn more about this deadly and addictive drug, I encourage you to get involved.

This year, the City is pleased to host several great events including: the annual Earth Arbor Day, the Cowboy Festival at Melody Ranch, the free summer concerts in the park, the annual Marathon and a whole lot more are also in the works for 2012.  If you are interested in any of these programs or events or would like to volunteer, please log on to our City’s website for details at santa-clarita.com, or call us at 661-259-2489.

Here’s to a great new year!