SANTA ANA : City Yields, Removes Gravel From Trail

The jogging trail that runs along an undeveloped portion of Santiago Park will remain a dirt trail after all.

Earlier this summer, the city covered the trail with gravel that officials said would make it easier to follow and less difficult to maintain. But joggers complained that the trail was unsightly and difficult to run on.

Gerald Tiritilli, 34, complained the loudest and took a petition to the City Council last month asking that the trail be restored to its original form.

The city, which at first insisted that the trail would not be changed, agreed to thin out the gravel in order to make the surface more comfortable for runners. But last weekend, without fanfare, the gravel was removed by a crew of workers and the dirt trail was restored.

“Staff took another look at the project and we just decided it would be better to try to make it as natural as possible,” said Jon (Rip) Ribble, assistant director of recreation and community services. “We try to do things that please the public as much as possible. That’s our job.”

“I’m happy that I wasn’t just beating my head up against a wall,” Tiritilli said. “I’m happy that they’re removing it and giving some consideration to the people who didn’t want it there in the first place.”

Tiritilli is hoping that next summer, history won’t repeat itself.

“I would hope that this is the end of it,” he said. “I would hope that they would just leave the thing alone.”