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ByCHRISPRICE,CITYOFSANTACLARITA.
By the time you read this, the City ofSanta Clarita should be in contract negotia-tions with an award-winning architect to
design the new Newhall Library. While plansfor the streetscape are being completed, newconceptsand ideaswillbegin toemerge for thereplacement of the overtaxed little NewhallLibrary on 8th Street. So even if you don’t seestreet construction under way or lots of new
buildings going up just yet, that doesn’t meannothing is happening inOldTownNewhall!
One of the key projects identified in theDowntown Newhall Specific Plan is the NewNewhall Library. To quote directly from theplan:
“This visually prominent, 2-3 storybuilding isorganizedarounda forecourt at thenortherly terminus of the Main Street result-ing in a distinguished site for the buildingwhile providing additional pedestrian activity
SUMMER 20085 CENTS YEAR 14, NUMBER 2
TThhee GGaazzeettttee..
CITY
OF
SANT
A CL
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A
Witness The Sights And Sounds On July 4.
Event Has Stayed The Same, More Than It Has Changed.
By TERESA TODD,SANTACLARITAPARADECOMMITTEEVOLUNTEER.
If you’ve lived in Santa Clarita for morethan a minute, you are sure to know the quirkyand humorous writings and quips of a real, mod-ern-day, hometown legend – John Boston. As hissnappy license plate boasts, he’s “Mr. SCV.”What you may not know is that our very ownJohn Boston will be honored as this year’s GrandMarshal in the 77th anniversary edition of theSanta Clarita Fourth of July Parade.
Santa Clarita’s Fourth of July Paradeattracts more than twenty-five thousand specta-tors cheering three thousand-plus participants
Coming Soon: A New Library For Newhall.CONTINUED ON PAGE 10.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12.
StreetscapeWork To Start.
Mr. SCV To Headline 77th Anniversary Parade.
ALAN
PO
LACK
/SCV
HIST
ORY
.CO
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NEWHALL’S INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE BECAME AN “ANNUAL” TRADITION IN 1932, BUT THERE WERE EARLIER PARADES. THIS ENTRY, POSSIBLY FROM THE
1928 PARADE, CARRIED THE JUSTICE OF THE PEACE AND OTHER COURT OFFICIALSFROM THE SOLEDAD TOWNSHIP, AS THE SANTA CLARITA VALLEY’S
JUDICIAL DISTRICT WAS KNOWN.
BOSTON.
NEW STREETSCAPE — The City of SantaClarita plans to budget $2.2 million in thecoming fiscal year for storm drains and thefirst block of new “streetscape” that will
expand the pedestrian space with pavers, trees,indigenous plants and boulders, seating, bikeracks, historical and directional information,
and swales to manage water runoff.
The biggest news in Old TownNewhall isn’t anything you can reallysee, unless you’ve got your nose inthe city’s books.
In early June, the redevelop-ment agency (read: the city) sold itsredevelopment bonds to WellsFargo Brokerage Services LLC.The sale netted the agency $27.85million for general redevelopment,and $8.15 million for housing.(Twenty percent of all redevelop-ment agency funds must be spenteither to improve existing or to buildnew affordable housing.)
The cash arrived June 12, andit was a long time coming. For thefirst time since the redevelopmentagency was established more than adecade ago, it has its own funds tomake changes in Old Town Newhall.
Up to now, all the improve-ments you’ve seen – from the subsi-dized storefronts to the realignedstreets – have been accomplishedwith money the agency has bor-rowed from the city’s general fund,with a few county, state and federalfunds thrown in for specific projectssuch as the Newhall Metrolink Sta-tion and certain neighborhoodupgrades.
Why did it take so long tobond? Because the agency had todemonstrate a track record ofgrowth before an investment housesuch as Wells Fargo would take a
gamble on it.Redevelopment agencies col-
lect “tax increment” funds, whichmight be easier to understand thanit is to write, but I’ll put it this way:As property taxes throughout aredevelopment zone rise above aspecified baseline – Newhall’s base-line was set in the mid-1990s – fortypercent of the increase in propertytaxes can be used for redevelop-ment. That increase is the “incre-ment,” and it has been rising steadi-ly.
That’s what the agency isbonding against, and what WellsFargo is banking on: the belief thatproperty values in Newhall, andtherefore the total property tax rev-enues, will continue to climb.
Now the fun begins.Twenty-eight million, plus
eight million for housing, isn’t near-ly enough to do everything that’scalled for in the Downtown NewhallSpecific Plan. That’s the documentthat charts all the changes that aredestined for our Old Town.
Going in, it was understoodthat it wouldn’t be enough to do itall. It’s a $35 million redevelopmentagency with – who knows? Maybe$50 million to $100 million inplanned improvements. You do themath.
Just as they did with theMetrolink Station and the curbs andgutters in Newhall’s neighbor-hoods, the folks at City Hall aregoing to have to use their expertiseto augment those redevelopmentdollars with county, state or federalfunds, as appropriate, on a project-by-project basis. They aren’t goingto blow through the redevelopmentmoney if they don’t have to – i.e., ifthey can find other ways to pay forthings.
Before the redevelopmentmoney was even in the bank, variousforces were already lining up to fightover the scraps. That’s becausethree “immediate” projects are onthe books that the $28 million won’tfully cover: an anchor library, twoparking structures and newstreetscape along Main Street (seePage 1). Everybody’s got his ownidea of what should happen first.
In one sense, that’s a goodthing. It shows that everybody cares,from the merchants to the residentsto our city officials. That is perhapsthe greatest change we’ve seen inthe last, oh, twenty years.
Most of the merchants want tosee the streetscape completed first –all of it, from one end of Main Street
to the other. “Piecemeal construc-tion, that is, doing one block at atime when funds are available, pro-longs the negative environment ofconstruction,” said the Old TownNewhall Association’s board ofdirectors – primarily downtownmerchants and property owners.
In a split decision at its Junemeeting, the Newhall Redevelop-ment Committee, an advisory bodyto the City Council-RedevelopmentAgency, concurred.
Look at the city’s budget num-bers for the coming fiscal year andyou might get the idea the mer-chants prevailed. The city is plan-ning to spend $2.2 million on stormdrains and streetscape; only$200,000 toward the library; andnothing for parking structures.
In truth, though, that’s onlyone block of streetscape, between6th and Market, from the CanyonTheatre Guild on the south to ElTrocadero Restaurant on the north.
The $200,000 for the libraryisn’t for construction; it’s to dosome demo work on property thecity has been purchasing for theeventual library, plus $300,000that was pending at this writing for
2.
DISTRIBUTION: FIFTY-FIVE THOUSAND.
LEON WORDENEditor And [email protected]
TIM WHYTEProduction And [email protected]
PATTI RASMUSSENChief [email protected]
The Old Town Newhall Gazette is pub-lished by Old Town Newhall USA, anSCV Communications Group company.
Send Correspondence To:OLD TOWN NEWHALL USA
Post Office Box 802993
Santa Clarita, Ca. 91380
[email protected] OLD TOWN NEWHALL
ON THE INTERNET
www.oldtownnewhall.com
TThhee GGaazzeettttee..
RedevelopmentBucks Are In TheBank. Now What?
©2008, OLD TOWN NEWHALL USA.
LEON WORDEN, Editor and Publisher.
EDITORIAL.
TThhee OOlldd TToowwnn NNeewwhhaallll GGaazzeettttee..
WHAT’S IN A LIBRARY? — Library consultant Linda Demmers conducted numerous stakeholder meetings earlier this year to determine what programs and services the community wants to see in the future Newhall Library at Lyons and Main Street.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10.
LEO
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‘Before the redevelopment money was even inthe bank, various forces were already lining upto fight over the scraps. That’s because three
“immediate” projects are on the books that the$28 million won’t fully cover ... Everybody’s got
his own ideas of what should happen first.’
PHIL ELLIS, Chairman,NEWHALL REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE.
These past six months havebrought many new developments for thecity of Santa Clarita. With help from theNewhall Redevelopment Committee,the reopening of the Farmers Market inOld Town Newhall has been a huge suc-cess. Running from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., themarket is open every Thursday, and weencourage you and your family to joinus.
Also, the implementation of thenew Web site, MyNewMainStreet.com,has shown to be a great feature for thecommunity. Everything from whatstores and restaurants are in the area tofuture plans and activities can be foundat the Web site.
As proud as we are about the firsthalf of 2008, there is still more plannedfor the rest of the year. With participa-tion from the Newhall Library AdvisoryCommittee, the new Newhall Library isnow in the design stage of development,and everything looks very hopeful.
The new designs for the
streetscape and renaming of streets inNewhall are under way and will continueinto the year. Progress has looked posi-tive, and we are excited to see theimprovements rejuvenate our historicOld Town.
I would like to remind you that withJuly around the corner, Santa Clarita’s
annual Fourth of July Parade and festivi-ties are on their way. The day will be fullof events that will culminate in the city’straditional fireworks show at the West-field Valencia Town Center. More infor-mation can be found online at SCVPa-rade.com, and we would like to see all ofyour families there to help us make thisyear’s celebration the best it can be.
With help from our community, we
are ready to take our redevelopmentefforts in Newhall to the next level. Iwould like to remind all of you that theNewhall Redevelopment Committeemeets the first Monday of every monthat 7 p.m. in the Century ConferenceRoom at Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920W. Valencia Boulevard. I encourage allof you to attend and help with the plan-ning of our great city’s future.
3.
Message From
The Chairman
More To Come In Remainder Of Year.‘As proud as we are about the first half of
2008, there is still more planned for the restof the year. With participation from theNewhall Library Advisory Committee, the new Newhall Library is now in the design stage of development, and everything looks very hopeful.’
Lecture At COC Will Address History Of TheTataviam And Neighboring Indian Tribes.
By ALAN POLLACK, M.D. PRESIDENT, SANTACLARITAVALLEYHISTORICALSOCIETY.
They came sweeping across the Great Plains to the SantaClarita Valley sometime around A.D. 450: a band of ShoshoneIndians called the Tataviam.
On Saturday, July 26, the Santa Clarita Valley Historical
Society and College of the Canyons will jointly host a talk byone of the leading experts on the native Americans of South-ern California. Dr. John Johnson, Curator of Anthropology atthe Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, will deliver thetalk on the history of the native Americans of the Santa ClaritaValley beginning at 2 p.m. at Mentry Hall, Room 318, on theCollege of the Canyons campus in Valencia.
It is theorized that some sixteen to twenty thousand yearsago, the first humans migrated while tracking big game animalherds from Siberia into Alaska and the Americas across theland bridge that spanned the Bering Strait during the last IceAge. From there, they spread southward across the NorthAmerican continent.
Evidence of the first inhabitants of the Santa Clarita Val-ley dates back about thirteen thousand years, but little isknown about them. Just over fifteen hundred years ago, theprevious inhabitants of our valley were displaced by a peoplewho migrated westward from the Great Plains.
For many years, modern historians called them the“Alliklik,” but this turned out to be a derogatory name given to
By AYESHA SALETORE,ADMINISTRATOR,
WILLIAM S. HARTMUSEUM.
Walk down Main Street in Old TownNewhall and you may see lights, camerasand action. Did you know Santa Claritahas been used by film makers for years?
Santa Clarita has been a huge film-ing site for movies, television shows, com-mercials and music videos. From FrankSinatra to Charlie Chaplin and the cast of“CSI” to “Deadwood,” numerous moviestars have graced our grounds past andpresent.
There were actually a number ofstars who made Santa Clarita their home,including famed silent film star William S.Hart.
As one of the top actors during histime, Hart befriended many famous per-sonalities including Wyatt Earp, AmeliaEarhart, Charles M. Russell and WillRogers. You can learn more about Hart’sfilm career and his circle of friendsthrough the “Hollywood at Hart” lectureseries presented by the William S. HartMuseum.
Join us August 2 for the first lectureof our series, “William S. Hart and theWestern.” This is sure to be an excitingtalk with Beth Werling, Collections Man-ager of History at the Natural HistoryMuseum of Los Angeles County. This freeevent will begin at 3 p.m. with a tour of theHart Museum and will continue with thelecture in Hart Hall. Reservations arepreferred and can be made by calling theHart Museum at 661/254-4584.
You are also welcome to visit theMuseum’s Web site for further updates onupcoming events such as Silents Underthe Stars, Music in the Mansion, and the
Native American Pow Wow.As always, you are invited to visit the
Hart Museum for a free tour. Come seeHart’s collection of Western artwork,
native American artifacts, and film para-phernalia during the Museum’s extendedsummer hours: Wednesday through Sun-day, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
4.
Bringing Hollywood To Hart.
AN UPCOMING LECTURE, “WILLIAM S. HART AND THE WESTERN,” IS JUST ONE IN A SERIES OF EVENTSTHAT HIGHLIGHT THE ROLE OF FILMMAKING IN THE HISTORY OF THE SANTA CLARITA VALLEY.
RYAN
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CAPT
URE
IMAG
ING,
COU
RTES
Y OF
THE
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ART
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EUM
Anthropologist To Speak About SCV’s First Inhabitants.
DR. JOHN JOHNSONCONTINUED ON PAGE 9.
5.
Opportunities For Parents To Learn English.COC Profs To Teach ESL In Newhall, Canyon Country.
News From College Of The Canyons.
Partnerships between Col-lege of the Canyons and theNewhall and Sulphur Springs ele-mentary school districts havebeen forged to widen the reach ofEnglish as a Second Language(ESL) programs in Santa Clarita.College of the Canyons profes-sors will teach noncredit ESL
classes to the parents of elemen-tary school students at two schoolsites in Newhall and four inCanyon Country.
“I’m very excited about thesenew partnerships,” said JenniferBrezina, interim dean of NoncreditDivision and Community Educationat COC. “By working together,we’re able to meet students’ needs ina way that none of us could if wewere working alone.”
The opportunity was madepossible through the Even StartFamily Literacy program in theNewhall District and the Communi-ty-Based English Tutoring (CBET)Program in the Sulphur Springs dis-
trict in Canyon Country.Open to parents of children up
to age seven, the Even Start FamilyLiteracy program helps to break thecycle of poverty and illiteracy by pro-viding parents opportunities to helptheir children academically and tomeet their own language goals.Along with ESL classes, participantsmust attend parenting and Mommyand Me classes.
The CBET program providesfree or subsidized English languageinstruction for parents and commu-nity members who pledge to tutorothers.
Both programs seek toexpand English proficiency in
the community.“The Sulphur Springs School
District is very excited about ourCBET partnership with College ofthe Canyons,” said MarianneHamor, administrator of categoricalprograms for the Sulphur SpringsDistrict. “We have already had atremendous response and are look-ing forward to continuing our part-nership next fall.”
To encourage parents to takethe classes, the two districts will pro-vide free childcare and the necessarybooks. Free from parenting obliga-tions and extra costs, this ESL pro-gram should attract any eager learn-er. ESL classes provide non-native
English speakers the training to suc-cessfully function as students in anEnglish-speaking college. Theclasses also offer students theopportunity to communicate on abroader scale, enhancing their ownlives.
The school sites involved in theprograms are Newhall and McGrathelementary in the Newhall District;and Leona Cox, Valley View, MintCanyon and Sulphur Springs in theSulphur Springs district.
For information aboutclasses in Newhall, call KellyFerko at 661/291-4010; for Sul-phur Springs call MarianneHamor at 661/252-5131.
Elementary School Goes High-Tech.
By PATTI RASMUSSEN,GAZETTECORRESPONDENT.
Students at Newhall ElementarySchool have been busy with hands-on,interactive science projects since theschool opened the doors to its new AlfredE. Mann Science Lab. The state-of-the-artroom has proven to be a wonderful learn-ing environment for all grade levels.
Located in the school’s old library, thelab is one of the most spacious in the SantaClarita Valley. Funded by in part by theNewhall Education Endowment Foundation(comprised of parents, teachers and adminis-trators) and grants from the Henry MayoNewhall Foundation, as well as a major dona-tion from the Alfred E. Mann Foundation, theScience Lab boasts spacious lab tables, wire-less computer stations, an interactivePromethean wipe board, microscopes andother essential lab equipment used for exper-iments and studies.
“Science has always played a special roleat Newhall Elementary,” said Principal Timo-thy Lankford. “We really want to engage thestudents and continue to enhance that.”
On a recent school day, fifth-grade
New Lab For Budding Scientists. Newhall DistrictAppoints TwoNew Principals.
News From The Newhall School District.
The Governing Board of theNewhall School District appointed twonew principals on June 3.
Sarah Johnson, currently assistantprincipal atNewhall Elemen-tary School, willlead Peachland Ele-mentary Schoolstarting July 1. Thatday, Sandra Reve-les, assistant prin-cipal at Dr. J.Michael McGrathElementary, willbecome the leaderof Old OrchardElementary.
Johnson andReveles will replacetwo retiring princi-pals. After twenty-two years in theNewhall district,Ruth Gauthier willbe leaving OldOrchard Schoolwhere she wasprincipal for thir-teen years. After four years at the helm ofPeachland School and twenty-two years inthe district, Judy Upham will be steppingdown. Both principals led their sites toCalifornia Distinguished School status.
Johnson, who taught in the Los
REVELES.
JOHNSON.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9.
STUDENTS USE SPECIAL REMOTE-CONTROL ANSWERING DEVICES TO PARTICIPATE IN A QUIZ IN THE NEW HIGH-TECH SCIENCE LAB
AT NEWHALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
PATT
I RAS
MUS
SEN
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8.
6.
Vasquez Rocks Served AsHideout For Famous Outlaw.
By ALAN POLLACK, M.D.PRESIDENT, SANTACLARITAVALLEY
HISTORICALSOCIETY.
In the Wild West of the 1870s, law-lessness was rampant on the Western fron-tier. Jesse James and his James-YoungerGang terrorized the Midwest from Missourito Minnesota and gained nationwide fameuntil they met their match against the citi-zens of Northfield, Minnesota, in Septem-ber 1876.
The citizens fought back against theoutlaws, severely wounding the Youngerbrothers, who rode out of town with Frankand Jesse James but were soon captured inMadelia, Minnesota, and sent to prison.
Jesse James escaped to commit a fewmore train robberies before he was gunned
down and killed by Bob Ford in St. Joseph,Missouri, on April 3, 1882.
Billy the Kid became famous after par-ticipating in the Lincoln County War, a bat-tle between competing merchants and theircohorts in Lincoln, New Mexico, in 1878.Billy met the same fate as Jesse James whenhe was shot dead in the darkened bed-room of his friend Pete Maxwellby Lincoln County SheriffPat Garrett at Fort Sumn-er, New Mexico, on July14, 1881.
While henever gained thesame degree offame as Jamesand The Kid,during the sameperiod Califor-nia had its ownlegendary out-law in TiburcioVasquez.
T i bu r c i oVasquez was bornin Monterey, Cali-fornia, in 1835 andgrew up during theromantic Spanish Ran-cho period. But as didmany Mexican Californios,he felt victimized by the rapidinflux of Americans from the EastCoast during and after the California GoldRush.
Vasquez began his life of crime afterbeing accused of stabbing and murderingMonterey County Constable WilliamHardmount during a fandango in 1854. Inthe early days of his career he robbed cattleand horses, freight wagons and stagecoaches. He spent most of the 1860s in andout of San Quentin prison, from which hewas finally released in 1870. But Vasquezwas just getting started.
Vasquez earned his fifteen minutes offame when he led a sensational robbery inthe town of Tres Piños (modern dayPaicines) just south of Hollister in the Mon-terey-San Jose area.
In August 1873, Vasquez led a gang ofeight men into Tres Piños, taking over thetown and killing three men in the process.To his dying day, Vasquez denied everkilling anyone, but his testimony was con-trary to that of eyewitnesses from TresPiños and his own gang member AbdonLeiva.
After Tres Piños, Vasquez became a
sensation and a most-wanted outlaw. Sher-iff posses were chasing him all over thestate.
Vasquez had one fatal flaw that even-tually ended his career: He was a womaniz-er. After Tres Piños, he had fled to a ranch atLake Elizabeth near the Antelope Valley.
There he had a tryst with Leiva’s wife.Leiva caught them together andangrily quit the gang andturned himself in toWilliam Jenkins, whobrought Leiva downto Lyon’s Station inp r e s e n t - d a yNewhall andturned him overto Los Angelesofficers. Leivawould eventual-ly testify againstVasquez at hismurder trial inSan Jose.
Va s q u e zcommitted anoth-er infamous rob-bery, taking overand sacking the townof Kingston in Fresno
County in December1873. The following month,
California Governor NewtonBooth offered an award for the cap-
ture of Vasquez: two thousand dollars dead,three thousand alive. The amounts werelater increased to six thousand and eightthousand.
During the next few months, Vasquezwould elude capture as he was chased byLos Angeles County Sheriff William Row-land and Alameda County Sheriff HarryMorse. He robbed a stagecoach at the Coy-ote Holes stage station on the road betweenthe Cerro Gordo silver mines in the OwensValley and Los Angeles. He then headedsouth, ending up in Soledad Canyon wherehe hid out in a strange-looking geologicformation that today bears his name –Vasquez Rocks.
By April 1874, Vasquez emerged fromhis hideouts to take up residence at theRancho La Brea home of Georgias Car-alambo, better known as Greek George, aonetime camel driver for Edward F. Beale’scamel experiment in the late 1850s. Mod-ern historians think the ranch was locatedin present-day West Hollywood near theintersection of Fountain Avenue and Kings
SACRAMENTO BEE, MARCH 19, 1875
Tiburcio Vasquez,California’s Own Jesse James.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9.
Grads Plan Forty-YearReunion To See How
Things Have Changed.
By DARRYL MANZER,GAZETTECORRESPONDENT.
For once, the odors of onionsand the stockyard stayed away fromcampus and the football field. Thesmog wasn’t too bad, either. Hard-ly any winds, so there wasn’t muchdust in the air. It was graduationweek at Hart High School – in1968.
It was typical June weather.Not too cold and not too hot. Poolswere justabout theright tem-perature forswimming.Nights wereSouther nCaliforniaperfect. Allnight atDisneylandbeckonedthose aboutto walk upto get their diplomas from WilliamS. Hart High School. The gradu-ates had rehearsed the ceremonyevery morning, followed by a weekof afternoons off campus even if itwasn’t officially sanctioned. After-noons were party time.
The graduation was the lastto take place in the Santa ClaritaValley when there was only onehigh school. The Hart High Classof 1968 looked forward to college,and dreams, and avoiding the draft(or getting into the military toavoid the draft). The members ofthat class had everything going forthem – and at the same time, every-thing against them.
Historical events were mostunkind to the year 1968. We lostDr. Martin Luther King and Sena-tor Robert Kennedy to the bulletsof assassins. Protests and riotsabout the war in Vietnam, racism,poverty, voting rights, politicalconventions and the escalating listsof those killed in all the violenceand war made it a year of unkind-ness. But not yet, for those gradu-ating from Hart.
We knew we could still winthe war in Vietnam and defeat
those communists invadingSouth Vietnam and its soon-to-be democratically elected gov-ernment. (At least it would havebeen elected some day, if the bat-tles of Tet hadn’t ended the ideaof free elections). We knew themighty American military couldnot be defeated in any war, andfor good measure, we also knewthat soon America would landmen on the moon and get themback to Earth.
We knew these things wouldhappen and – we learned over theyears that we may not have knowneverything we thought we knew.
We watched the news fromVietnam, and the first attempts offreedom’s call in the Eastern Euro-pean countries behind the IronCurtain.
The music we listened to, themovies and television shows wewatched, reflected our politicalawareness and inability to under-stand politics at all. We wanted to“Make love, not war” and “Draftbeer, not students.”
Our hair wasn’t yet longbecause until we had the diplomain hand, the dress code still gov-
erned our lives at Hart High.Here’s a neat little set of facts
from that year: A gallon of regulargasoline at Mel and Sonny’s UnionStation in Newhall or Jerry’sChevron in Saugus was some-where around 19.9 cents. Some ofus had jobs that paid as much asthree dollars per hour, but most gotlittle more than the minimum wageof one twenty-five an hour.
A gallon of gas and twoMcDonald’s burgers cost aboutthe same – and produced about the
same energy – but the onlyMcDonald’s was in the San Fer-nando Valley. We had A&W andthe Saugus Café, or Tip’s, or…
What the heck, it was onlyforty years ago. Not long, when youthink about it.
Those dirty commies didtake over South Vietnam – andhave turned into some prettygood capitalists. I would bet youown some clothes made in Viet-nam. We shall not speak ofChina, the country which Wal-Mart is building and we are pay-ing for on plastic that is financedby Chinese investors.
Eastern Europe has beenreunited with the West, and nowthe Euro is worth more than thedollar. In 1968 it wasn’t even athought; “Europe will never unite”– well, it did.
But we, the Class of 1968from William S. Hart High School,had one more test before we couldhead into that future we know sowell today. We still had to makesure we passed Mr. Sims’ civicsclass and get our diploma afteranother speech by “the judge.” Wewould sing the alma mater onemore time and, after turning in ourcap and gowns, get on the buses forDisneyland!
It was the only place to go.Magic Mountain was a stockyard.A last night as Hart High students… the only high school in the wholeNewhall, Saugus, and Castaicarea…
We were looking on theInternet and started e-mailing eachother, finding old classmates, andthinking, Forty years – that is just alittle bit of time. I’ve not changed atall, but I'll bet those others have,and I’d love to see them...
In typical Class-of-1968 fash-ion, we had only one answer tothat: Time to party!
It's all set for October 18,2008.
If, after this shock, you findthat you’re a Class of 1968 memberfrom Hart High and would like tojoin the rest of us, check this out,our very own Web site:www.hart1968-40threunion.com.
There, you can find all aboutthe planned events. What the heck,we’ll even allow members of otherHart classes from any year – but Iwill not dance with my sisters (1959and 1962). See y’all there!
Just a thought: E-mail, Websites, laptops, PCs, Macs, theInternet, cell phones, iPods, MP3players and all kinds of other stuffdidn’t exist way back when wegraduated. Heck, boys didn’t taketyping class, either.
How many hours have all ofus been at keyboards in the lastforty years?
Darryl Manzer grew up inthe Pico Canyon oil town of Men-tryville in the 1960s and went toHart. He joined the Navy and cur-rently lives in Virginia.
7.
Hart Class Of '68 Knew It All.
HART CLASS OF ’68 — This rowdy bunch plans to get together in October to see how thingshave changed in the past forty years. From the looks of things, we’d say things certainly have
changed — for the better. That’s Darryl Manzer in the back row, second from right, with the billyclub. At top left behind the eye patch is someone you won't recognize as the pirate John Boston.
‘The Hart High Class of 1968looked forward to college, anddreams, and avoiding the draft (or getting into the military to
avoid the draft). The members ofthat class had everything going for
them – and at the same time, everything against them.’
Darryl Manzer.
8.
students from Ms. Heesun Kehl’sclass studied the solar system.Kehl used the Promethean boardto quiz her students on the plan-ets and their make-up. An inter-active quiz tested the students’knowledge in almost a game-show atmosphere as they lockedin their answers on individual,hand-held devices.
“Student engagement is reallybig with these boards,” Lankfordsaid while watching the studentsreact to the correct answers.
Teachers have been just asreceptive to the new space. “The labis great,” Kehl said. “We can set upall that we need for a lesson before-hand. We have water and theresources necessary for our lessons.The technology enhances every-thing we do and really gets the stu-dents engaged.”
Kehl’s students have trulyenjoyed some of the experiments,most recently gathering informationon tornadoes. The lab was construct-ed with numerous cabinets to hold avariety of necessary science equip-ment all neatly stored and accessible.
Newhall Superintendent MarcWinger praised the parents and oth-ers who have supported the schooland said with the new science lab,students will continue to gain valu-able knowledge and get the headstart that is needed to compete inthis high-tech world.
“The (foundation’s) fundrais-
ing effort was extremely successfuland they were able to build a state-of-the-art facility for our students,”Winger said. “The lab is one of onlytwo in the district and a rarity at theelementary school level. We allappreciate their efforts.”
The Science Lab is not the onlychange happening at the oldestschool in the Newhall District. Lastyear, a couple of old classrooms weredemolished and a freestanding,modern library was constructed.This summer, all of the old windowswill be replaced with upgraded,dual-paned windows. Both thelibrary and the replacement win-dows were funded by Measure Kbond money.
For the past four years, theSanta Clarita Chamber of CommerceHispanic Business Council has heldan Excelencia awards ceremony tohonor outstanding Hispanic busi-nesses and individuals. This year theceremony was held May 22 at theRepertory East Playhouse in OldTown Newhall.
The Business of the Year awardwent to El Trocadero Restaurant,located on the corner of Market andMain Street in Old Town Newhall.
Owner Raul Bojorquez and hiswife, Dora, established the restau-rant in May 1998. Over the past tenyears, El Trocadero’s beautiful sur-roundings, festivities and great foodhave added a component of excite-
ment to Newhall. It has become aplace to have parties, meetings orjust to hang out and natter withfriends. Give Raul a call at 661/248-6615.
Longtime Newhall resident and
downtown supporter Suzie Szabowon the Community Leader of theYear award. Suzie has been proactivein the revitalization of Old TownNewhall for the past ten years and isthe Old Town Newhall Association’sdowntown manager.
Suzie is well known in the com-munity and not only works but alsovolunteers what little time she hasleft to promote, inform and representthe residents, property owners andbusinesses of Old Town Newhall.Suzie would love to talk to you aboutwhat is happening, how you can bepart of the excitement, and whatOTNA can do for you.
Give her a call at the OTNAoffice at 661/253-0730.
‘81 Series’ Returns In July With A Dark Adult Comedy.
By OVINGTON MICHAEL OWSTON,ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
REPERTORY EAST PLAYHOUSE.
Are gas prices ruining your summerplans? No need to worry – the REP will saveyou.
The Repertory East Playhouse will con-tinue the highly praised “81 Series” on Friday,July 18, at 8 p.m. with the critically acclaimeddrama, “HurlyBurly,” by David Rabe. Be a partof The 81 at the Opening Night Wine Recep-tion at 7 p.m., with curtain at 8 p.m. The Open-ing Night Wine Reception is sponsored byLoose Goose Wine Festival.
The 81 Series, or our “studio series,” fea-tures limited-engagement performances ofmore academic, provocative pieces of theatreby well known and respected playwrightsthroughout the theatre world. Most of thethemes explored in The 81 Series deal withpertinent social ideals and values of Americansociety.
“HurlyBurly” is a riveting dark comedywhich chronicles the non-events in the lives ofa group of fast-talking, narcissistic, L.A.-based professionals, nose deep in the deca-dent, perverted, cocaine-laden culture that isHollywood. We follow the characters – whocan’t seem to slow down long enough tobreathe, let alone make sense of their lives – asthey pursue their sex-crazed, dope-riddenvision of the American Dream.
The Off-Broadway production, directedby Mike Nichols and starring William Hurt,Sigourney Weaver, Judith Ivey, ChristopherWalken, Harvey Keitel and Jerry Stiller,received high praise. “A powerful permanentcontribution to American drama,” saidNewsweek; “Riveting, disturbing, fearsomely
funny … has a savage sincerity and a cracklingtheatrical vitality. This deeply felt playdeserves as wide an audience as possible.”
“HurlyBurly” opens Friday, July 18, andwill run through August 2. Show times are Fri-day and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2p.m. This is a limited engagement perform-ance. The show contains adult language andadult situations and is intended for matureaudiences only.
For tickets, purchase online atwww.repeastplayhouse.org or call 661/288-0000. The REP is located at 24266 MainStreet in Old Town Newhall.
The REP will host post-show discussionsimmediately following each Sunday perform-ance. Join the cast and crew for an intimate dis-cussion about the process of creating live the-atre.
“HurlyBurly” stars REP veterans MikeeSchwinn, Ovington Michael Owston, DanielLench, Phillip Peck, Kristen Paige, NicoleDionne and newcomer Leslie Connely.
The City of Santa Clarita’s Newhall CommunityCenter recently received a generous donation of morethan $4,000 worth of top-of-the-line, brand-namesoccer shoes from Planet Soccer, a retail establish-ment in Old Town Newhall. The owner of Planet Soc-cer, Carlos Marroquin, made the donation to benefitthe underprivileged youth who participate in theNewhall Community Center’s soccer program. Thecenter’s soccer program serves more than fifty high-risk youth, ages thirteen through sixteen.
“Planet Soccer is providing the CommunityCenter’s low-income youth with this prestigiousopportunity that would be otherwise unaffordable forthem and is also contributing to and creating a posi-tive alternative for the high-risk youth in the commu-nity,” said Efren Galindo, the Community Center’ssports coordinator.
Science,CONT.FROM PAGE 5.
Hispanic Council Honors Resident, Restaurant. Soccer Store DonatesTo Community Center.
PATT
I RAS
MUS
SEN
REP
PHO
TO
TECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWSCIENCE LAB AT NEWHALLELEMENTARY INCLUDES A“PROMETHEAN BOARD.”
Summer ‘Stay-cation’ At The REP.
FROM LEFT: DANIEL LENCH, PHILLIP PECK, MIKEE SCHWINN,OVINGTON MICHAEL OWSTON.
9.
them by their neighbors to the west, the Chu-mash. “Alliklik” roughly translates to “grun-ters” or “stammerers,” a reference to thesound of their Uto-Aztecan dialect.
More recently they have been known asthe Tataviam, or “people of the sunnyslopes,” so named by the Kitanemuk Indiansof the Antelope Valley, due to their habit ofbuilding villages on southern-facing slopes ofmountains to maximize sun exposure.
The Tataviam were hunters and gather-ers who lived in approximately twenty-five vil-lages dotting the region consisting of cone-shaped huts of willow poles covered withgrass.
The main and largest village, calledChaguayabit, was thought to be located atCastaic Junction. There were also smaller vil-lages at present-day Piru, Camulos andNewhall. Their territory ranged from Piru onthe west to Newhall on the south and theLebec area on the north.
They subsisted on small game such asdeer, rabbits, squirrels and snakes, and alsoate plants such as acorns, yucca, sage, agave,juniper berries and buckwheat. They prac-ticed a form of shamanism, communicatingwith the supernatural world through halluci-nations brought on by the use of jimsonweedand other hallucinogenic plants gatheredalong local streams. Artifacts found in our val-ley suggest that trade existed between theTataviam and people in Agua Dulce and far-ther to the east.
For many centuries, the Tataviam coex-isted with nature and continued the same cus-toms and practices; very little changed in thevalley. But in August 1769, the world of theTataviam was to change forever. That month,a group of Spanish soldiers and missionariesled by Gaspar de Portolá crossed over the SanGabriel Mountains into the Santa Clarita Val-
ley. They were on a land expedition out of BajaCalifornia with the purpose to find and colo-nize Monterey Bay before it could be settledby Russian fur traders coming down from
Alaska. On the way, the first California mis-sion was established in San Diego by FatherJunipero Serra.
These “strange looking” people were
warmly greeted by the Tataviam. The Spanishbelieved these peoples should be taught mod-ern agriculture and converted to Christianity.A mission was established in 1797 in San Fer-nando. An outpost of the mission, theEstancia de San Francisco Xavier, was built in1804 on a bluff overlooking the present-dayMagic Mountain amusement park.
The Tataviam, along with other NativeAmerican peoples of the region, werebrought to the Mission San Fernando by theSpanish to live and learn European ways.Within a few years, most of the Tataviam peo-ple were working for the mission. The last fullblooded Tataviam is thought to be Juan JoséFustero, who died near Camulos in 1921.
According to the Santa Barbara Muse-um of Natural History, Dr. John Johnson’s“career has been devoted to understandingthe culture and history of the Chumash Indi-ans and their neighbors in south central Cali-fornia through the study of archaeology,archival records, and interviews with contem-porary native Americans. Johnson has pub-lished more than forty studies about SouthernCalifornia Indians, particularly the Chumash.His work to preserve important archaeologi-cal sites and collections has been recognizedformally by the Society for California Archae-ology, which awarded him their Mark Har-rington Award for Conservation Archaeologyin 2002.”
The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Soci-ety and College of the Canyons are proud topresent this distinguished expert on localNative American history. College of theCanyons is located in Valencia off the ValenciaBoulevard exit of Interstate 5. Visitors to thelecture should park in the South Parking Lotoff of Rockwell Canyon Road, then proceed toMentry Hall. For a map of the campus, go tocanyons.edu/offices/PIO/keyinfo/Cam-pusMap.asp.
The general public is welcome. Admis-sion is free. For more information on this andother upcoming programs from the SantaClarita Valley Historical Society, call661/254-1275 or visit scvhs.org.
Angeles Unified School District and Newhall, has served as an assis-tant principal for two years. Reveles started teaching in Los AngelesUnified and came to Newhall from the Lennox School District. Shehas also served as an assistant principal for two years.
Both new principals have extensive backgrounds in workingwith English language learner populations, which is important totheir new assignments. Reveles has extensive training as a staffdevelopment specialist at the elementary level and Johnson is cur-rently heading up the Newhall School District’s July summer schoolprogram.
“The recruitment and selection process for two positions wasintense,” said Beverly Knutson, assistant superintendent for humanresources. “We had many qualified candidates from outside andinside the district, but in the end, we are happy that we were able toselect two finalists from our own ranks.”
Road. It was here that Vasquez’ pen-chant for women got him into troubleyet again and ended his outlaw days.
After one final robbery at theRepetto Ranch in present-day Mon-terey Park, Vasquez was chased by asheriff’s posse up the Arroyo Secointo the San Gabriel Mountains. Hecrossed over the mountains and possi-bly camped again at Vasquez Rocksbefore returning through Lyon’s Sta-tion to the ranch of Greek George.
It was May 1874; Vasquez madethe fatal error of remaining at GreekGeorge’s ranch to continue a liaison
with a señorita after his friends hadurged him to flee to Mexico. SheriffMorse had gotten word of his where-abouts and relayed the information toRowland. On May 13, Rowland sent aposse led by Undersheriff AlbertJohnson to capture Vasquez at GreekGeorge’s ranch.
The posse hid out and observedthe ranch from Nichol’s Canyon in theHollywood Hills. The next day, theyapprehended a wagon driven by twoMexicans and forced them to drive tothe house occupied by Vasquez. Theysurrounded the house just as a womanopened the door and shouted a warn-ing to Vasquez. The ever-wily Vasquezleaped out a kitchen window but wasshot several times by posse membersand was finally captured. He wasbrought to a Los Angeles jail where he
spent nine days as an instant celebrity,with throngs of reporters and womenclamoring to see him.
Vasquez was charged with themurder of Leander Davidson at TresPiños and was brought to San Jose tostand trial. His celebrity status contin-ued in San Jose, especially among theSpanish population who treated himas a hero.
The trial took place in San Josein January 1875. He was found guiltyand sentenced to death by hanging. Aswere to be the fates of Jesse James andBilly the Kid after him, TiburcioVasquez met his untimely end onMarch 19, 1875, when he was hangedin San Jose.
Live by the sword, die by thesword. His final word was reported tobe “pronto.”
Johnson,CONT.FROM PAGE 4.
Vasquez,CONT.FROM PAGE 6.
Principals,CONT.FROM PAGE 5.
THE AREA INHABITED BY THE TATAVIAM INDIANS INCLUDES WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS THE SANTA CLARITA VALLEY.
on the streets of Old Town Newhall each year. Musicalgroups, civic organizations, equestrian units and local busi-nesses will comprise the bulk of this year’s parade lineup.
The Santa Clarita Valley Parade Committee, a groupof dedicated, civic-minded volunteers, works each year tobring local residents what they believe to be the best home-town parade in the country.
“There are two things we can count on each year,” saidParade Chairman Leon Worden. “First, the parade willalways be on July 4, and second, it will always be hot thatday.”
“The Sights and Sounds of Santa Clarita” is this year’sparade theme. As the day begins to warm, the parade marchofficially begins at 9:45 a.m., winding its way through thestreets of Old Town Newhall and beyond.
From its starting gate at Hart Park, the processiontravels north on Main Street (formerly San Fernando Road),turning west on Lyons Avenue before proceeding northalong Orchard Village Road. The parade ends at 16th Streetnear Placerita Junior High School.
Announcer stations along the route offer spectatorsplay-by-play action as floats, cyclists, autos, musicians, dig-nitaries, community pageant queens, equestrian andmarching brigades proceed along the route. With streetclosures by 8:30 a.m., early arrival is strongly recommend-ed for the best choice of viewing locations.
Residents are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blan-kets and plenty of sunscreen, but leave the Silly String andwater toys at home. Strict enforcement will be in effect for acity ordinance prohibiting the use of Silly String and allother projectile devices along the parade route.
Parents: Don’t make the mistake of assuming that justbecause a vendor sells contraband, your children areallowed to use it. Not the case. The city does not regulatevendors or their wares at present time, so it is not illegal forSilly String or water toys to be sold. But due to the potentialfor injury to people, horses and automobiles with expensivepaint jobs, it is against the law for anything to be projectedinto the line of march.
It all began in the midst of the Great Depression. In
1932, some notable locals teamed together to organize amarch down the streets of Newhall on July 4th in a show ofpatriotism. The 1932 parade had an “Old Time” theme,complete with an old-time prospector and his family, theinfamous Mule Team freight line, cowboys, ranchers andother iconic features of a bygone era.
Among the more memorable moments of that inau-gural parade:
— S.D. Dill’s brand-new 1932 school bus was animpressive lesson in the progress both of transportationand in the number of pupils.
— The “Catholic Ladies” won Sweepstakes for theirmodel of the San Fernando Mission, complete with Indi-ans, padre and other features.
— Newhall Ice — still in business today — won the“originality” prize for its blocks of ice with f lowers andfruit inside.
— Opal Houghton’s stunning hat won her the “bestladies costume” prize, presented by Ruby Kellogg.
— Jess Doty and his men put on an odd stunt. A car of1913 was shown with some wheels out of center and, knownas Galloping Lizzie, was followed by one of the newestmodels.
— Herb Ball’s freight line got stuck and lost the waterwagon but finally got its place with the sixteen mule team.
— After the parade, fully two thousand people milledaround, visiting, greeting friends, dodging the fire crack-ers and waiting the opening of the barbecue dinner.
— Politicians made patriotic speeches, and sportingevents lasted until sundown.
— The greased pig and greased pole contests seemedto make the most sport, the pole climbing being continueduntil finally Robert Poore of Glendale managed to over-come the slippery handicap and get the $2.50 prize.
From its humble beginnings, Santa Clarita’s Fourthof July festivities have always gotten bigger and better. The1933 parade saw no fewer than twenty-seven officialentries, with about a hundred horsemen, rodeo perform-ers, cowboys, cowgirls and movie stars.
The 2008 parade lineup will round out at approxi-mately one hundred entries, complete with equestrianunits, local law enforcement, young marching brigadesand, of course, politicians. It is a fine tradition and one thathas stayed the same more than it has changed over theyears.
The key is for everyone to enjoy the pride and patriot-ism that makes Santa Clarita a great place to live, work andplay. Come witness the “Sights and Sounds of Santa Clari-ta” on the streets of Old Town Newhall this year. Have ahappy and safe Fourth of July!
10.
Fourth Of July Itinerary.Before the Parade:
•6:30 a.m. Equestrian staging begins at Heritage Junction (Hart Park). •7 a.m. Santa Clarita Rotary Club PancakeBreakfast in the Roger Dunn Golf parking loton San Fernando Road between 5th and 6thstreets. •7 a.m. Parade registration opens at VeteransHistorical Plaza.•8 a.m. Street closures scheduled.•8:30 a.m. Equestrian judging at HeritageJunction (Hart Park). •8:30 a.m. Santa Clarita Runners’ Kids Runstarting and ending at Newhall Park.•9 a.m. Santa Clarita Runners’ 5K Run-Walkstarting and ending at Newhall Park.•9:30 a.m. Parade registration closes.
9:45 a.m. PARADE BEGINS. •Approx. 1:30 p.m. Trophies awarded at El Trocadero Restaurant.
After the Parade: •Approx. 9:20 p.m. City of Santa Clarita Fireworks Show at Westfield Valencia Town Center; to be shot off from the roof of a parkingstructure. No other entertainment at this venue. •Also: Fireworks over Stevenson Ranch andCastaic Lake.
architectural plans.The actual library construction funds
will probably come in the following year’sbudget, with the rest of the streetscape spreadout over three or four years.
Why is it happening this way? For sever-al reasons. If you want details, come to thenext Redevelopment Committee meeting onJuly 7 at 7 p.m. in the Century Room at CityHall. In the meantime I’ll throw out a fewthoughts.
Newhall needs a new library for all of thereasons spelled out in the Downtown NewhallSpecific Plan and more. The existing, quaintlittle Newhall Library was built in the 1950s fora community of a few thousand people. It can’t
handle the growth. It’s bursting at the seams.True, people who use the Internet might
not be borrowing books from libraries likethey once did. But new libraries ain’t whatthey used to be, either. They are places withhomework help and other programs for kids.(The Boys & Girls Club and the CommunityCenter can’t accommodate all the need.) Theyare places where people can go online. (Com-pared to the rest of the city, Newhall has thefewest at-home Internet hookups.) They areplaces that can stock books to augment theelementary school curriculum. (NewhallSchool District Superintendent Marc Wingersays his schools aren’t getting enough statefunds for enough books.) They are places thatcan offer computer training to seniors. (TheSenior Center and senior housing are rightdown the street, with more on the way.) Theyare places that can showcase local art.(Newhall lacks a permanent art gallery.) Thelist goes on.
The City Council and senior cityemployees are committed to building a new
library for all the right reasons, and they notethat the merchants of Old Town have much togain from an impressive landmark facility thatwill bring potential shoppers and dinersdowntown.
Why not forgo the library and use theredevelopment funds to do the entirestreetscape all at once? The biggest reason, inthe city’s view as I understand it, is the mannerin which Newhall is going to change. Entireblocks of current one- and two-story build-ings are going to be demolished to make wayfor three- and four-story buildings withupstairs apartments and condos over ground-floor retail shops. It wouldn’t make muchsense (and nobody could afford) to put in thestreetscape in front of the current buildings,then have to rip out the streetscape when yourip out the block, and put it in a second time.
Rather, you put in the streetscape whenthe block is done, or as it’s being completed.That’s why the city is starting on the blockbetween 6th and Market. It’s basically done.The Trocadero building isn’t going to be
demolished anytime soon; the city-redevelop-ment agency spent $69,000 to make it lookthe way it does. Same with the Canyon The-atre Guild; the city-redevelopment agency put$400,000 into it.
The other big factor is financing. Just asthe city was able to use federal CommunityDevelopment Block Grant funding for curbsand gutters in Newhall’s neighborhoods, itwill probably be able to apply for similar mon-eys for curbs and gutters (read: streetscape)along Main Street. The money doesn’t comeall at once, and it doesn’t come retroactively; ifthe city spends redevelopment money onstreetscape now, the feds won’t reimburse it.
What of the two parking structures?They’ll go in as two blocks are demolished andrebuilt. The city will have to put millions ofdollars into them – but whose money? Possi-bly some of redevelopment’s housing money,since they’re connected to affordable hous-ing. Possibly some regular redevelopmentmoney, if any is left. Possibly some other mon-
Editorial,CONT.FROM PAGE 2.
Parade,CONT.FROM PAGE 1.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 11.
11.
Alex HernandezADMINISTRATIVEANALYSTCITYOFSANTACLARITA
Old Town Newhall is a hub for small business. Nationalfast-food chain restaurants and retail stores are nowhere to befound. In an effort to highlight unique or new businesses, eachedition of The Gazette spotlights an Old Town Newhall estab-lishment. This month’s spotlight is on Poka Dott Trinket andParty Shoppe at 24337 Main Street.
Owner Stephanie Weier initially opened her store inMay 2004 in a differentlocation along BouquetCanyon Road. She thenmoved the store to OldTown Newhall, openingits doors on Main Streetin September 2007.
Stephanie specifi-cally chose to open inOld Town Newhall tobe among other inde-pendent retailers. Shehopes the store willdraw more one-of-a-kind, unique stores to be her neighborsand make Old Town Newhall a destination for locals and visi-tors.
Since opening, the dynamic and engaging owner-opera-tor has capitalized on the neighborhood’s foot traffic and hasdiversified the store’s offerings and marketing efforts.
The store prides itself on excellent customer service andhas recently focused on expanding corporate accounts forparty planning services. The store is known for delivery serv-ices, custom work and balloon designs, as well as uniqueproducts and gifts.
Recently, the store was selected for a segment on a newA&E cable television show, “We Mean Business.” A crewfilmed in the store for two days, remodeling the store’s interi-
or, installing new technology and working with Weier tostreamline the business. The taping finished with a grandreopening of the store, and the episode is expected to air inthe fall.
Weier hopes to take up product development and avant-garde balloon designs. She and some of her staff will undergoCertified Balloon Artist training and testing later this year.
Almost daily, Weier has first-time customers discoverthe store in Old Town Newhall and remark that it is a hiddentreasure. They are taken aback by the product range, fromballoon bouquets and designs to party packs complete withthe essentials such as balloons, plates, cups and napkins. Thestore’s services also include gift wrapping and personalizedgoodie bags.
A new Web site, PokaDott.com, was recently launchedwith sections to shop for balloons, cards, gift bags, gifts andparty goods. Weier has also set aside a Reading Room for cus-tomers to browse selected books that she recommends forparty planning and hosting. Visitors can also sign up toreceive her newsletters, join a VIP membership group, orpurchase gift cards.
Make sure to visit Poka Dott Trinket and Party Shoppeto find that special gift, or for your next celebration. The storeis located at 24337 Main Street (formerly San Fernando Road)in Old Town Newhall. Hours are Monday to Friday from 9a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Poka Dottcan be reached at 661/296-9884 or you can shop online atPokaDott.com. Poka Dott is a member of the Santa ClaritaValley Chamber of Commerce and the Old Town NewhallAssociation.
Old TownNewhallBusinessSpotlight.
Planning A Party? Think Poka Dott.
OWNER STEPHANIE WEIER AND HER STAFF AT POKA DOTT HAVE BROUGHT A FUN AND UNIQUE APPROACH TO THEIR PARTY STORE IN OLD TOWN NEWHALL.
eys. Too early to know.It would be nice to see Los Angeles
County put some money into the new Newhalllibrary since, after all, it is part of the CountyLibrary system, but sources indicate hellwould have to freeze over first. Remember:The county didn’t pay to build the Jo AnneDarcy County Library in Canyon Country.The city did.
What does your humble editor thinkshould happen? All of it. The library, thestreetscape, the parking structures, andeverything else in the Specific Plan. The $28million isn’t nearly enough, and if past experi-ence is an indication of future results, then thecity can and will pursue additional fundingsources to stretch the redevelopment money.It won’t happen all at once – and all of it won’t
happen, if the money wizards at City Hall havetheir hands tied.
What should happen first? As far as I’mconcerned, you do what you can, when youcan do it. The city has an excellent trackrecord of conservative fiscal management.While other cities are going broke in these dif-ficult times of a deflated real estate market andinsane gasoline prices, ours isn’t. If outsidemoney is available for the library, the city willgo after it. If outside money is available forparking structures or streetscape, the city willgo after it.
I know the merchants don’t want to see apermanent construction zone in Old TownNewhall. The truth is, with or withoutstreetscape, it will be a construction zone forseveral years to come as the Specific Plan isimplemented and the buildings are redevel-oped block-by-block.
NORTH NEWHALL.Gazette readers will remember talk of
North Newhall, a plan for housing and com-mercial development north of Old Town, onand around the “Cowboy Festival parkinglot.”
The plan calls for the removal of theexisting at-grade railroad crossing at 13thstreet. It would be replaced with an at-gradecrossing at Lyons Avenue, which is to beextended to Dockweiler.
Several agencies must sign off on theplan, including the Public Utilities Commis-sion, which regulates railroad crossings.
Before launching the official approvalprocess, the city asked the PUC for an opin-ion. The PUC generally frowns on new at-grade crossings because they’re more danger-ous to vehicles and pedestrians (not to men-tion trains) than are bridges over, or tunnelsunder, train tracks.
Thus the PUC’s response to the city wasabout what one would expect: It likes the ideaof eliminating the at-grade crossing at 13thstreet but opposes a new at-grade crossing atLyons.
In a May 22 letter, the PUC said it“strongly recommends that the city grade-separate Lyons Avenue over Metro’s tracks”(meaning a bridge or tunnel), and said the cityshould “examine whether a grade separationof Lyons Avenue is practicable.”
The city will go through the motions aspart of the environmental impact report forNorth Newhall, but you don’t have to be anengineer to understand the “practicality” ofbridging over or tunneling under the tracks atLyons. Either way, you’d have to start back atNewhall Avenue, and in the process you’dwipe out the north end of Old Town, not tomention the new library site that the city justpurchased.
The city’s environmental documents willrecommend an at-grade crossing at Lyons,followed by several months of debate at Plan-ning Commission and City Council meetings,followed by a few years of litigation whenopponents sue over the “danger” posed by anew at-grade crossing.
Can you say Gate-King?
Editorial,CONT.FROM PAGE 10.
viewable from several directions.”The architects who are chosen will con-
tinue to reference the Specific Plan, meetwith members of county library and city staff,work with ad-hoc committees and share theirideas during public participation meetingsdesigned especially to garner input from you.
The completion of this library will be acommunity success.
The library will not just be a buildingfull of wonderful books. While this will not bethe first library the city has built, it will be thefirst ground-up, clean-sheet-of-paper designof a next-generation library.
This new facility will be capable of serv-ing a much wider audience, will become anew gathering place for residents and visi-tors, and eventually may serve as an anchor toa much larger commercial development withmixed uses including parking, retail shops,housing, entertainment venues and busi-nesses.
The north end of Main Street will helpset the standard for all of the public and pri-vate development in Old Town Newhall.
As you may know from reading TheGazette, over the last two years, staff hasbeen working with property owners on thewest side of old San Fernando Road andSpruce Street north of Lyons Avenue tonegotiate purchases of parcels needed to
site the new library.This process is necessarily slow
because, while staff is motivated to moveprojects forward for the improvement ofMain Street and Newhall in general, we alsonaturally want the best for the business andproperty owners who may be impacted bypossible relocation to accommodate newdevelopment.
As of the date of this writing, the city’sRedevelopment Agency has not once exer-cised its power of eminent domain. Themuch-preferred method of direct negotiationhas resulted in satisfied sellers and businessowners, with only the lawyers disappointedwith the lack of court cases. The city is cur-rently negotiating with the owner of the finalparcel necessary to secure the entire site.
As you also may have read in TheGazette, the street name changes planned forNewhall have all been made legal. The CityCouncil approved the change of San Fernan-do Road to "Newhall Avenue" from StateRoute 14 to 5th Street, and extended thename "Railroad Avenue" north from 11thStreet all the way to Magic Mountain Park-way.
By the time you read this, all of the signsin the city should have been changed accord-ingly, and those on State Route 14 will not befar behind.
The design for the streetscape project isalso near completion. The current budgetcalls for the block of Main Street between 6thand Market streets to be constructed first,with future phases to follow. City staff will beworking with the business owners about howbest to approach construction for the leastamount of impact.
12.
Library,CONT.FROM PAGE 1.
THE NEW LIBRARY TO BE BUILT IN OLD TOWN NEWHALL WILL BE MORE THAN JUST A PLACE TOBORROW BOOKS. IT IS ENVISIONED AS A COMMUNITY CENTERPIECE AND GATHERING PLACE.
