SANTA ANA : City Compromises on Covering Trail

A resident who fought to have gravel removed from a jogging trail in an undeveloped portion of Santiago Park won a partial victory this week, but he’s still not happy.

Gerald Tiritilli complained to the City Council two weeks ago about the gravel, which he said detracts from the natural beauty of the area and is unpopular with joggers who frequent the trail because the gravel is deep and loose.

City officials said on Thursday that the gravel will stay, but they plan to “thin it out” and make it more compact so that joggers can be more comfortable.

“We hope the change will make everyone happy,” said Jon (Rip) Ribble, assistant director of recreation and community services. “We feel the content and the color of the gravel fits in aesthetically with the park, but we realize that it is difficult to jog on.”

Ribble said the gravel, which is actually decomposed granite, is preferred by the city over a dirt trail because it helps define the path, reduces potholes and minimizes mud holes during the rainy season.

Tiritilli said he is disappointed that the path will not be cleared completely. He said he will continue to push for the granite to be removed.

“Their reasons for having the gravel there in the first place still don’t seem valid to me,” Tiritilli said.

Tiritilli also fought City Hall over the trail last summer. He complained then about “chunks of asphalt” that were used to cover the trail. A few days after his complaints, the asphalt was removed, though city officials deny that Tiritilli’s complaints were responsible for the change.