Happy Turkey Day!

We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Happy Halloween!

On the scariest night of the year, ghost and goblins come from everywhere! Halloween events this year include:

On Oct. 31 the Antelope Valley Mall hosts its ``Spooktacular Halloween Bash,'' mall stores will hand out candy to trick-or-treaters from 5 to 7 p.m. From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the mall center court, costumed teens will tell Halloween stories for younger children. From 6 to 7 p.m. entertainer Ken Frawley will sing songs and play games with children.

Haunted Houses:
43008 Guyman Ave., off of 40th Street West and Avenue L
7203 Peachtree Lane, located off 75th Street East north of Highway 138

The valley's two biggest haunted houses are the Mira Loma Haunted Jail, hosted by sheriff's deputies and Factory of Fears at Mira Loma Detention Center, and the sixth annual A.V. Scare.

The Haunted Jail begins tours at sunset tonight, Saturday and on Halloween at Mira Loma, on 60th Street West at Avenue I. Tours begin under the jail water tower and end at 10 p.m. Admission is free. Visitors should be prepared for long lines, deputies warned. Call (661) 949-3831 for a recording of general information

Other events:
Halloween craft programs for children will be held at 2 and 3 p.m. Wednesday and a Halloween video program with crafts from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 31 at the Quartz Hill Library, 42018 50th St. W. For more information call (661) 943-2454.

A drop-in Halloween/Fall craft event for children age 2 and over runs from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 31 at the Lake Los Angeles Library, 16921 E. Ave. O. Preschoolers must be assisted by a parent.

Children will have a choice of making a fall leaf pin or a Halloween bookmark. For more information call (661) 264-0593

The Heart of the Tejon Ranch Vision

It’s not easy being green, that’s why Centennial and our partners work so hard at it. Tejon Ranch signed an historic conservation agreement with the nation’s leading environmental organizations (the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Audubon California, Planning and Conservation League and the Endangered Habitats League) that will permanently preserve up to 240,000 acres of Tejon Ranch. For those who love soccer, that is about 125,000 competition sized soccer fields!

So what does this mean for Centennial? Just like the Ranch, we at Centennial are committed to conservation. In fact, half of our site’s 11,700 acres will be open space with nearly 80 percent of the open space area looking exactly as it does today.

Our goal is use the land and resources to meet the housing, employment and lifestyle needs of current and future generations of Californians, while being guided by the Ranch’s core values of conservation and good stewardship.

If you haven’t already be sure to check out a community hike led by the Tejon Ranch Conservancy, which was created as part of the Tejon Ranch Conservation and Land Use Agreement. Just visit the website at: http://tejonranchconservancy.org/, and click on “Events”.

Supporter Spotlight: Dave & Jill Wade

Dave and Jill Wade of Lebec, Supporters since 2007 and founding members of Friends of Centennial.

If you’ve heard Dave Wade talk about Centennial, you know he is passionate about the new community. Dave and Jill’s support for Centennial is rooted in Tejon Ranch’s record of environmental sensitivity.

The Wade’s are pleased that Centennial will bring the convenience of much needed services without disturbing the tranquility of the mountains that drew them to the area.

“The commitment to quality and stewardship that Tejon Ranch has demonstrated shows that they take care of their land. We will enjoy the benefits and sense of community associated with Centennial while preserving the open space that makes this area so special.”

Centennial: A Walkable Community

Was there ever a time where you wished you didn’t have to get in the car and fight traffic to buy groceries, take the kids to school or to a park? At Centennial you can leave your car in the garage. Centennial has been designed as a series of compact walkable villages where most homes will be within one-half mile of a neighborhood park, schools, and retail stores. Centennial also is being planned with 7 – 8 foot paseos with landscaping between the pavement and pedestrian along main roadways and off-road trails to enhance a walking experience.

Need to get to your neighbor’s house on the other side of Centennial for a barbeque while carrying a bowl of potato salad? No problem. An internal transit system will be in place to take residents to any part of the entire community as well as to the two transit stations that will connect you with regional bus and train service into the San Fernando Valley and other parts of Los Angeles County.

Question of the Week: Is the economic climate impacting Centennial?

From time to time we receive questions about Centennial to our e-mail address (info@centennialca.com). We welcome your questions about Centennial and will periodically feature questions on Centennial Scout.

Lately we’ve received a number of inquiries about the effects of the current economic downturn on Centennial. Actually, the current conditions make this just the right time to be in the planning process. Centennial is the solution a lot of local residents are waiting for. The new town will bring jobs and drive economic growth in the region.

Once we begin building the new town, Centennial will help address the housing needs of a growing region. Southern California’s population is projected to grow by 3.5 million by 2020 and we need to plan accordingly.

Centennial will be built-out over a period of 20 years and between now and then it is reasonable to expect the economy and the housing market to rebound.

Help Wanted

It seems like everyone is talking about the economy these days. In particular, the US job market is a hot button topic. We at Centennial are excited to be able to contribute the Country’s job growth.

A highlight of master-planned communities like Centennial is that they plan for jobs, amenities and vital services that the region needs to thrive. Since Centennial is a self-sustaining community, we’ve planned for a wide range of job opportunities from entry level to professional services, including teachers, firefighters, doctors, nurses and attorneys. In fact there will be more than 30,000 permanent jobs available once the 20 year build-out of Centennial is completed. That is 1.3 jobs to every one home created!

Job growth at Centennial will start before we even lay a brick. Nearly 30,000 construction jobs will be ongoing for the entire 20 year build-out.

It is our hope that Centennial can help people live the American Dream.