'THERE ARE SO MANY NAMES' MEMORIAL AIMS TO REMEMBER YOUTHS KILLED IN CRASHES.

Byline: Judy O'Rourke Special to the Daily News

SANTA CLARITA - In a scene that resembled a memorial service, a respectful crowd gathered Friday on a peaceful knoll under towering trees in Central Park to remember young people whose lives were cut short by traffic crashes.

Instead of turning dirt for a grave, ground was broken for a themed memorial to remember the interrupted lives. Many who attended will inscribe the names of their children or siblings in the monument.

``I can't think of a more beautiful place you can remember them by,'' said Kevie Wright, mother of Kiel Kudroff. Her 18-year-old son was killed in 2002 when his sport utility vehicle hit a traffic pole in Valencia.

Spontaneous memorials brimming with flowers, candles, photos and notes scrawled by friends often mark crash sites, as they did at Kudroff's.

This permanent memorial's centerpiece will feature a vow penned by Kathy Tabajdi, 22, who conceived the exhibit to honor several friends who lived on her block who had died in collisions. The monument, about 8 feet in diameter, will be offset by tree stumps bearing the names of local teens who have died on the road. Fifty-eight names have been submitted.

Organizers plan to hold annual vigils at the site, where banners bearing the names of the dead will fly overhead.

The purpose of the site, set back from grassy playing fields, is to encourage teens to drive more carefully, and to prevent more driving deaths. City analyst Tess Simgen said a temporary exhibit displayed at community events has promoted a healthy dialogue between parents and kids and she hopes the permanent reminder will foster greater caution.

``I can't bring my son back,'' said Alice Renolds, whose sons Danny and Tim Renolds were among four who died in 2000 in a crash on Soledad Canyon Road. ``It's a sad thing there are so many names here, but a good thing to get through to kids. If I can prevent another parent from going there by getting through to their kids ...''

Fundraising and nonmonetary donations will pay for the project, estimated to cost about $200,000, Simgen said.

Car washes, restaurant nights and team events sponsored by Visions in Progress, a youth advisory group, have raised $100,000 so far.

The Newhall Land and Farming Company has donated $70,000. C.A. Rasmussen and a number of subcontractors have joined to donate construction services and materials valued at $125,000. Criteria for being named in the memorial include: an age of 24 or younger and a Santa Clarita connection by birth, education or location of the fatal incident. There is no time limitation. Names have been culled from the past 26 years.

The memorial is expected to be built by early February, Simgen said. For information about the memorial, call Simgen, at [phone].

Judy O'Rourke, [phone]

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) A youth memorial in Central Park will mark the death of each person 24 or younger who has died in a local road crash.

(2) Friends and families of youths who have died in auto crashes in the Santa Clarita Valley gather Friday at the site of a planned youth memorial in Central Park for a groundbreaking.

David Crane/Staff Photographer