Local officials from the city, state, and federal levels gathered together in Valencia on Friday morning to dedicate a new trailhead in honor of a founding member of the Santa Clarita City Council.

The incoming open space trailhead in the Tesoro Del Valle neighborhood overlooks the dry San Francisquito creek bed, and has been named in honor of longtime Santa Clarita resident and community leader Dennis Koontz.

“This is an honor and I will enjoy it for a long time,” Koontz said. “My children and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will share this honor with me. I wish you all well going forward.”

Koontz, a former L.A. City firefighter, served first on the City Formation Committee, and then the Santa Clarita City Council member from the City’s founding in 1987 until 1990. After that he worked as a Health Assistant at Valencia High School for the next 15 years, until his retirement.

“He is always patient and he is always kind. So it’s no surprise that Dennis was integral in laying the foundation for the success our community has achieved today,” said Mayor Pro Tem Laurene Weste, a longtime friend of Koontz. “Throughout his life he has been committed to serving others.”

On top of his contributions to the City and school systems, Koontz also has volunteered for many years with the Santa Clarita Valley Boys and Girls Club, the SCV Senior Center, the Santa Clarita Fourth of July Parade, and dozens of other fundraisers for local organizations, including the local Boy Scouts

Koontz’ wife, William S. Hart Union High School District Board Member Linda Storli-Koontz, noted that her husband’s civic pride in the community he helped build is unbounded.

“There’s no one that loves this city and is more proud of this city than Dennis is,” she said. “He takes personal delight in telling everyone in the many countries we visited, where he’s from, and how he helped start the city. I am unbelievably proud of this man, and hopefully we’ve got another 30 years to enjoy this trail.”

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