OPA Adopt-A-Trail

Rattlesnake RR Ties – Project DONE!

In less than an hour, our volunteer crew installed railroad ties over the sharp ends of three sets of corrugated drainpipes on Rattlesnake Trail. This project will help safeguard equestrians in case of a mishap. Thank you, Mark Maize, Tim Bielski, Tom Lauderdale, Ryan and Dylan Mongan, David Hillman, Mary Carlson, and Don Bradley. You guys know how to hustle, and the community appreciates your time and contribution. The ties were donated by a generous neighbor on OP Blvd. Thank you, Everyone!

Tumbleweeds Be Gone!

I had the pleasure of working side by side on the trails with two volunteers from the Lions Club. Jeff Schlagheck and Dennis Tortora were part of a Citywide Serve Day event organized by Love Orange. These two nice guys didn’t even live in OPA and yet they came out to help us for three hours with trail maintenance. They worked extremely hard with shovels to clear a mountain of tumbleweeds on Lazy Creek Trail, Handy Creek Trail, and the Pig Trail. I give them big kudos for giving up personal time on a Saturday to benefit our trails and our community. Dennis and Jeff, you have our heartfelt gratitude!

The Berm Trail Gets A Facelift

Year after year, trail users have watched the Berm Trail become so eroded that many avoided using this popular route leading from the south end of OPA trails to OC Parks. It is located at the intersection of Santiago Canyon Road and Newport Blvd. and travels up and over the hill between the Hillsdale Homes and Santiago Estate + Vineyard.

The repairs seemed so extensive since the County had last worked on the trail in 2010 that the project has been put off numerous times on the Trails Committee's list of things to do. Enter into the picture David Webb of Webb Construction and his wife Megan, “new” OPA residents. On our last community tractor workday, David was drawn in by the volunteer enthusiasm he witnessed and pledged his help on a future workday. Mark Maize wasted no time in drawing David in to plan out the long overdue Berm rehabilitation project.

I’d like to tell you that this project was completed quickly and smoothly in the manner that so many of our trail projects usually are, but because of the complexity of the many land partners and jurisdictions, it was far from easy. If it wasn’t for the expertise and patience of Mark Maize in steering us through the mire of city, county, and OC Park permits, permissions, and insurances, we would have lost our way for sure. Then there was the matter of accessing water, parking, and people to help out.

In the end, it was a true OPA team effort all the way around from our OPA board in voting to fund the project, discounted heavily by David Webb’s donation of labor, equipment, gas, and the involvement of his helpmate-wife, Megan, and the rest of the trails crew, Julie Maurer and David Hillman. We even made valuable friends with Chuck and Parisa Horning, owners of the Santiago Estate + Vineyard, who charitably provided us with hoses, water, cheery support, and the help of their groundskeeper Umberto on the day of the project.

When the dust had settled, we looked upon the day’s work with pride. The Berm Trail has been restored to a safe enjoyable route that will withstand years of future use. We have plans to return to the site in a few weeks to do a little fine-tuning and rock raking. Perhaps we can enlist your help as a volunteer to finish it off and put the cherry on the top of the Berm Trail.