Since a 15-year-old Gilroyan was airlifted June 14 to Valley
Medical Center in San Jose after crashing his bike, the fate of a
cool suburban hollow dubbed
”
The Jungle
”
is in question as authorities determine how to crack down on
regulations.
Since a 15-year-old Gilroyan was airlifted June 14 to Valley Medical Center in San Jose after crashing his bike, the fate of a cool suburban hollow dubbed “The Jungle” is in question as authorities determine how to crack down on regulations.
“It’s not supposed to be here, but they haven’t done anything about it,” said Josh Chappell, 14, who visited the BMX track Wednesday afternoon with his two friends Tim Van Horn, 14 and Zach Green, 13.
Located west of Miller Avenue near the Uvas Creek Levee by Third Street, you won’t find any coordinates pinpointing this earthy alcove nestled near Christmas Hill Park on the City of Gilroy’s website.
Rather, the route requires an intentional detour away from the asphalt down a maze of grassy rabbit trails.
It was here a 15-year-old caught some air with his friends when the accident occurred, according to Gilroy Fire Department Battalion Chief Phil King, who said the biker “went off one of the jumps and had some sort of mishap and went head-first into the mound.”
The exact jump he crashed on is unknown, but a couple of The Jungle’s bigger ramps and peaks ramps reach roughly 3 to 4 feet high.
Paramedics arrived at the scene at about 9:39 a.m. June 14 and had to transport the young man via ambulance from the area near the creek a few hundred yards to a helicopter, which landed near Gilroy High School’s baseball field. King said the crash victim – who was not wearing a helmet – suffered a concussion.
To an extent, The Jungle had been on city’s radar according to City Administrator Tom Haglund, who said the City of Gilroy is gauging who the technical owners are: The Santa Clara Valley Water District or the County of Santa Clara.
He highlighted a zoning ambiguity, however, when it comes to the general area, saying “when we talk about the Uvas, it’s like pushing mercury around the table. You push on one place and it pops up somewhere else … there’s sort of this multijurisdiction depending on which portion of the Uvas you’re talking about.”
Factors such as erosion and wildlife all come into play, he added, not to mention the fact emergency medical crews had difficulty reaching the injured teen-ager due to The Jungle’s clandestine location.
“We’ll try to identify who the responsible agency is and let them know about it so they can take the appropriate steps,” said Haglund. “Between the three operative agencies, the City of Gilroy, County of Santa Clara and the Santa Clara Valley Water District, staffs will communicate to figure out what they can do.”
Don Gage – former Gilroy mayor, county supervisor and current water district board director – said he isn’t sure who the property belongs to either. Regardless, “you can walk on the trails and you can ride your bike on the trails, but you can’t modify the trails.”
Consequences begin with a warning but could eventually land repeat offenders with a citation, then a misdemeanor, he said.
In this case, “modified” doesn’t do The Jungle – or, “Pump Track,” as the encompassing subculture BMX bailiwick is known – justice. This terrene playground is more than a crop of dusty humps protruding from the ground.
“It was one of Gilroy’s best kept secrets up until now,” said GFD firefighter paramedic Steven Hayes, who co-founded the city’s annual and highly popular BMX/skateboarding expo known as the Extreme Youth event. “It wasn’t built overnight.”
And he’s right. The Jungle is an establishment; a corrugated labyrinth of bowls, lips, chutes, jumps and berms that’s been around for what Green estimates is the better part of a decade. There’s even a table, benches, a Lazy Boy Chair and a trash can filled to the brim that reads: “Property of the Jungle. Clean up your (trash).”
“The city has been saying they’re going to take it down for a while,” said Green, the valedictorian of Solorsano Middle School who will attend Christopher High School in the fall.
On occasion, Green said he’s seen a pair of adults “who didn’t look like they were here to bike” surveying the area.
Roughly a month ago, what he presumed to be city workers came out and leveled a portion of the track – but, like a brand new sand castle doggedly reconstructed after an older sibling steps on it, “if they take it down, it’s just going to get built back up again,” said Zach, with a matter-of-fact shoulder shrug.
Gage also recognized this, saying “the city tore down the last one, and these kids work really hard to build it up again.”
Thanks to the city, ironically, resurrecting new jumps isn’t difficult according to Chappell, who said workers leave fresh mounds of dirt behind – which riders put to good use.
Chappell and Hayes called to attention a successful model in Calabazas, San Jose, a former creek bed-turned-BMX park that eventually gained official city sanctioning with persistent grassroots support from bikers in the community.
Green, Chappell and Van Horn all agreed they wouldn’t mind complying with new rules should authorities opt to maintain and regulate The Jungle, versus keeping it taboo – although Haglund said the chances of this happening “in that area are very slim,” especially with it being so close to a creek bed.
Chappell and his friends have visited the skate park in Las Animas Veterans Park on Mantelli Drive, “but I’d rather ride here,” he maintained.
Even if comes to signing waivers or dealing with a fence – “it gets so hot here,” Zach highlighted. The Jungle allows bikers to enjoy their sport out of Gilroy’s blistering summer sun.
Encircled by a thick fortress of shrubs, the creek side lair is forgivingly shaded by a green umbrella of treetop canopies, making it easy to understand why some might prefer its atmosphere to an area defined by hot concrete.
That, and the flexibility to change up the terrain and create new obstacles is a big plus, bikers say.
Bryan Denniston, on the other hand, a 13-year-old who will be an eighth grader at Solorsano next year, frequents the skate park regularly and was there Friday afternoon. He prefers the park’s facility as it’s “more safe,” but agreed a lack of benches and shade is a downside.
Even if officials did decide to level the area, Chappell was skeptical of how workers would get the necessary equipment onsite needed to flatten the uneven topography.
As for the safety factor, Chappell, Green and Van Horn all donned helmets, but admitted a majority of bikers who frequent The Jungle aren’t always in compliance with California’s bike laws, which mandate bicycle riders under 18 wear helmets.
Like Jesus Morales, for example. The 11-year-old was not wearing any protective headgear Thursday while riding through The Jungle with his uncle.
Having stayed in tune with Gilroy’s skate/BMX populace, Hayes feels the city would greatly benefit from an after-school program rooted in a permanent, indoor facility geared toward skateboarding and BMX riding.
“No matter how safe it is, kids will get hurt. It comes with the sport,” he said. “But we can help aid in safety.”
