Closed Jogging Trail May Be on the Path to Repairs

ENCINO — A popular jogging path at the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area that was closed and marked hazardous after the El Nino-driven storms may be repaired soon, state officials said Tuesday.

Federal Emergency Management Agency authorities are expected to reconsider paying as much as $200,000 to clear the path, which was declared a disaster site after the rains, said Graham Cox, a disaster relief official with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

A disagreement between city and federal officials over the scope of the repairs has kept the track off-limits since February.

City officials had requested about $200,000 in repair funds from the federal agency, but FEMA officials estimated it should cost no more than $44,000 to clean the path.

The discrepancy stalled city efforts to restore the dirt trail, leading path users to risk fines and injuries by using it anyway.

But Anthony Gonzalez, city finance officer, said FEMA initially did not consider repairs needed on a concrete portion of the trail and the removal of silt deposited by the winter storms.

Authorities at the federal agency now are expected to reevaluate a city application, state and city officials said.

Cox said FEMA officials have agreed to revisit the trail and come up with a repair estimate more in line with what the city estimated. FEMA officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

“Hopefully, the [new] estimate will be closer to what real-life necessities dictate,” Cox said.

FEMA officials are expected to meet with the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department within two weeks. City officials said if the application is approved, repairs to the trail would take about a month.