Ken Striplin

Our city is thriving. We are seeing increases in the housing market and decreases in both our crime rate and our unemployment rate. Your city continues to invest in the community with major projects that are improving traffic flow, beautifying the city, and adding more amenities.

In Valencia, we are well underway with constructing a state-of-the-art park-and-ride facility at the McBean Transfer Station.  The project will add 280 new parking spaces for commuters. Other key components of the facility include five new bus canopies to serve commuter buses, landscape enhancements, low-impact site lighting, public art installations, a bicycle passenger drop off area, bicycle lockers, a surveillance system and a commuter passenger platform.  We anticipate completion of the project during the first part of next year.

Also in Valencia, we are embarking on a project to widen the McBean Parkway bridge over the Santa Clara River to eight lanes and construct a Class 1 bike path. The project will connect McBean Parkway and the Santa Clara River Trail, creating a multi-modal corridor.  The project also includes a landscaped median from Avenue Scott to Magic Mountain Parkway.  We expect this project to be completed next year.

At the Valencia Library, we are adding new parking spaces and landscaping, as well as a new lighted sign to the Valencia-fronted facility, in an effort to better serve our library patrons. This is slated for completion later this year.

In Saugus, we will be adding much-needed new sports fields at Central Park, which will be ready to go next spring.

In Old Town Newhall, we are underway with a new roundabout across from Hart Park at 5th Street and Newhall Avenue.  This project, which also includes a custom art piece in the center, will serve as a gateway into Old Town Newhall and will also improve traffic flow in this area. This project will be completed early next year.

In Canyon Country, we are working with Caltrans on a beautification project at Sand Canyon and SR-14.  The project will beautify the existing on and off ramps at Sand Canyon Road and SR-14 by installing environmentally applicable landscaping such as trees, shrubs and ground cover.  Improvements will also include hardscape to complement the landscaping.  This project is expected to be completed later this year.

As you drive through the city, you are probably seeing a number of landscaping projects going on, including a large one on Soledad Canyon (across from the Speedway) and a couple on Sierra Highway. These projects help keep property values up and our city looking great.

If you have suggestions for additional landscape projects, please call us at 661-259-CITY or email me at kstriplin@santa-clarita.com.  Thank you for your interest in our city.

Ken Striplin is city manager of the city of Santa Clarita.