Our Ditch Got a Boost—And We’re Over 100 Strong: Let’s Keep Going, Applewood!

Hello Applewood Neighbors,

I’ve got some good news—and a huge thank you to share! Last Friday, March 28, 2025—just three days before irrigation season kicked off—Guilder Pipeline showed up at 8:30 AM with a crew of four pros and over $1 million in equipment to tackle the 782-foot pipeline that’s been my lifeline for our family’s water. The Cottages at Rolling Hills HOA shelled out for this jetting, and it’s the first time we’ve seen a full inspection since they buried it in 2019. But the real champs? YOU! —over 100 of you have signed our petition at https://chng.it/fhYWwTBVRZ —and I’m begging for 200 to finally get this ditch done right, the right way!

Here’s how it went down: Guilder rolled in with a giant vacuum truck, a water jetting rig, an inspection truck, and a bunch of pickups. Traffic control—three workers and three more trucks—shut down the eastbound lane of W. 32nd Avenue for hours—big disruption, but worth it. They blasted through our 8” pipeline with load after load of water, wrapping up by 12:30 PM. It wasn’t easy—the pipe’s got weird twists, messed-up cleanouts, and a ton of junk clogging it, especially where it’s buried in the W. 32nd Ave ROW east of Kendrick Street. But they cleared it, and the HOA got that inspection—our first real look since 2023, when debris stopped them cold.

This pipeline got buried to help the HOA’s fancy homes, leaving me and my fellow ditch owners stuck—our shovels can’t touch it, and we’ve been locked out from checking or fixing it ourselves. So, I’m grateful the HOA paid for this jetting—our water’s flowing better now. But truth is, they’re not backing me up beyond this one job. It’s you, Applewood, who’ve got my back—over 100 signatures strong, and I can’t thank you enough for that!

Here’s where it gets tough: just over a week ago, I got a quote to fix this pipeline properly—over $355,000 just for the pipe itself, to lower the headgate that’s 6” too high, regrade the flat and uphill spots that choke a gravity system, and make it last for generations. That’s not even counting another $100,000 to $150,000—maybe more, who knows?—to get access, pull permits, and clear the mess blocking it: 6’ concrete wall, fences, trees, walls, sidewalks, and utility gear like that transformer. The construction folks said they’d need a 20-30’ wide path—shutting down the eastbound lane of W. 32nd Ave again, plus the HOA entrance at Juniper Ct and Kendrick St. That’s a huge price tag—and it’s not my job to pay it!

Why’s this still a fight? That headgate’s a headache—every time the flow’s too low in the main Lee, Stewart, and Eskins Ditch where we pull our water, it’s a struggle to get what we need—April 2021, we got nothing. We’ve had to keep up a makeshift dam downstream, and since 2023, when the new HOA homes went up and folks moved in, I’ve been hassled over and over just trying to inspect and clean it—folks telling me I don’t belong there. Those slopes? Jefferson County’s own building codes call for a minimum slope for gravity systems—I protested loud and clear when the developer asked to flatline it at 0%, and the county greenlit it anyway over my objections. It’s a hassle we shouldn’t have to deal with. And those encroachments? They’re smack on our ditch easement, despite certified letters years ago begging the HOA to leave it clear.

I just want this ditch done right—access so we can fix or replace it when it breaks, no walls or fences in the way, and water flowing free without me chasing lawyers or spending a fortune. The HOA’s own rules say they’ll clean and fix it every year, and the developer promised the same in 2020—so why am I still fighting? Here’s where we’re at: your support—over 100 signatures—is my strength. We’re not stopping—100 isn’t enough; I need 200 of you to make this ditch right for our families, for generations down the line.

To Applewood: your voices—over 100 strong and counting—are driving this. Sign the petition at https://chng.it/fhYWwTBVRZ if you haven’t—let’s hit 200! Share this with your neighbors. I can’t do this alone, but with you, we’ll get it done right—the right way.

Thanks Again!!

Greg

www.fixourditch.org