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Apex Flood Damage Photos - Closure to continue well into 2014

18K views 179 replies 43 participants last post by  SkaredShtles 
#1 ·
There was a guided tour conducted by JCOS staff this morning, to view the extent and nature of the flood damage at Apex Park.

The damage has to be seen to be believed. It is expected that repairs and reconstruction will begin next year. The complete assessment and general plan for moving forward will likely be done in the next few months. But it is known that the significant nature of the work which needs to be done, not to mention the sheer volume, will require materials and equipment which is not going to be allowed to weather and degrade under the snow over the winter. Significant work is not expected to begin until spring.

Patience will be required. This isn't going to get fixed any time soon.

In addition to the numerous examples of damage one might expect after a significant rain event, there are at least 5 places on Apex trail proper which evoke that "Oh... wow..." reaction. See a couple examples below.

20 photos can be seen here: Apex Flood Damage Tour - 2013.10.24 - a set on Flickr

Apex Flood Damage
Doesn't look like such a big hole ...

Apex Flood Damage
... until you are down in it, looking back up at the trail.

Apex Flood Damage

Apex Flood Damage
 
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#14 ·
i agree, the time those 20 people spent gawking at the hole coulda been spent shoveling and filling in the holes.

i do respect that you "gotta see it to believe" kind of things. I just can't fathom how that much water formed rushing rivers like that. . . the top of the mountain above is only a few hundred vertical feet above.

thanks for sharing. i volunteered yesterday to help at lair o' the bear and was not stoked to be told we were redoing the picnic area at the base of the park. "oh, the trail is fine" said the ranger. so i said. . . "what about apex??" they really have limited staff to help manage the projects and are tying to knock out the easy ones first.
 
#21 ·
Must be a fun time in ignorance land. How does the coffee taste there?

Apex is near the bottom of the list dude. When Jeffco sends you the email for trail work make sure you respond quick because the tools will get picked up quick by the rest of us.
 
#23 ·
This is a neighborhood park, after all. How can that be closed for a year? JCOS should provide legal releases and then allow us in. BTW most of the trails are in great shape. Sure the gulch is damaged but that is only a small fraction of the park. I guess being an old timer when back in the day folks accepted reasonable hazards and and didn't just roll over when the man said to.

The idea about crowd sourcing the repair is a good idea too. I've participated and I am sure many more would too.
 
#26 ·
Thanks for sharing the pics. I have a few questions:

1) Who was invited on this guided tour? I'm just curious because I've asked folks at JCOS specifically if they would do a tour for neighborhood folks.

2) Did you guys go anywhere but up the gut/ Apex proper? From the aspect of things, every picture you posted appears to be up the main trail/ drainage (Apex Trail). One of my biggest questions has been whether or not there is significant damage elsewhere. If there is only minor damage on Argos/ Pick n Sledge/ Grubstake, that's a significant portion of trail that could be opened much sooner than sometime in 2014. Folks at JCOS have sent me some pictures, but like yours, they all appear to be up the gut. I'm sure there is some damage on the frontside trails, but I would imagine it's not nearly as bad as the damage up the main trail. I'd love to see/ hear a more comprehensive answer to this question.

Thanks!
 
#27 ·
the major damage is up the gut in the drainage. there were some minor erosions on some of the switchbacks - but nothing that couldnt be fixed and shored up with a few hrs and a few people... so - everything BUT the gut could be used, but you know what happens - there's always someone and more than one thats gonna run the closed parts... id personally be happy with a 3/4 solution until the rest is fixed.
 
#29 ·
As I live across the street I went up just after the deluge but before the closure. I was hiking, not biking. The damage is mostly confined to Apex Gulch. Any damage (trail washout) on other trails is minor. Anyway why aren't these trails open to hikers and runners? That's my point. Closure can readily be made as needed where machinery is being used.

This is a neighborhood park and should not closed without an absolute necessity and then only with broad-based community input.
 
#31 ·
That's what I've heard from everyone- and thanks for chipping in with the info.

I've been exchanging some polite e-mails with Tim at JCOS and he said they were still considering the possibility of being able to open the frontside- or a better way to put it is that they haven't given a hard "no"- but that last e-mail was from two weeks ago, before they've had two teams of folks up there to check it out. I sent a follow-up e-mail today and hope to hear back from him sometime- he's been cordial and responsive so far to my inquiries.
 
#32 ·
Tuesday, November 19th- JCOS is going to be having a meeting to address Apex and other park plans, etc. There should be more details coming soonish, but put it on your calendar now if you can make it.



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#33 ·
Latest from my inbox:

Thank you for your interest in updates regarding Apex Park. As we work through the repair process to address the flood damage in the park, we will keep you updated on the progress.

If you were unable to attend our public information meeting on the 19th, we have made the content from the meeting available on our website:

· Flood Recovery Presentation - The presentation from the public meeting which covers all of our flood-damaged parks, the work completed, the work yet to be done, and FEMA involvement

· Apex Park Flood Damage Assessment Map - shows damage on trails rated as minor, moderate, and heavy

· Apex Park FAQ's

The content above can be found on the Apex Park page.

In addition, two new videos were shown at the meeting and can be viewed here:
Video: Jeffco Open Space Flood Recovery

Video: Apex Park Flood Damage: A Walking Tour (no sound)

We have started volunteer days at Apex Park. The first two days will take place the week of Nov. 25th, and were filled by volunteers at the public information meeting. Additional volunteer efforts will become available as weather, staff resources and trail logistics for hauling materials allow.

Thank you for your patience as we work to address the Apex Park closure. We appreciate your cooperation and respect of the closure for your safety.
 
#37 ·
Whoa! Wait a minute! This is a public park. JCOS isn't Google, WalMart or some other private entity. These people are public employees and work for us, the taxpaying citizens of Jefferson County. I am and will be respectful but demand transparency foremost. Regardless of what JCOS decides to do they should retract the inaccurate map. Apex is a heavily used asset owned by we citizens and now we don't have use of our park for an extended time. Are you satisfied with that?
 
#40 ·
If JCOS would accept IMBA help things could probably move faster. But that horse was beaten long ago.

I agree with others that it's a public-owned entity and while partial closure is acceptable and understandable (such as mustang at WR right now), blanket closure of the entire park is poor management considering the percentage of trails that are unaffected.
 
#41 ·
I agree with others that it's a public-owned entity and while partial closure is acceptable and understandable (such as mustang at WR right now), blanket closure of the entire park is poor management considering the percentage of trails that are unaffected.
The reasoning behind closing the entire park is clearly stated by JCOS. Apex Gulch is the major connector and has the most damage. More importantly, there is major damage at both the east and west trailheads. Because of the damage at the trailheads and the connectivity of other trails to the damaged Apex Gulch trail JCOS decided the potential for users entering damaged areas is too high. Thus, the closure.

On the list of priorities, trail user safety is higher than trail use. Sure, it sucks, but it does no good to blame people who are doing their jobs; nor to demand anything because of perceived entitlement.

A rough estimate from the damage map lists ~6 miles of trail with minor and moderate damage and another ~1 mile of major damage. That's ~74% of the total milage with some sort of damage. (JCOS list the criteria for damage assessment in the FAQs.) That leaves ~26% of the trails undamaged.

So, if ~3/4 of the park needs trail work, it makes sense to close the entire park until a comprehensive and longterm solution is determined.
 
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