By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
CARRBORO — The community advocacy group Save Bolin Creek asked the Carrboro Greenways Commission at a public meeting at Town Hall on Monday to reject proposed plans to pave the Bolin Creek Greenway from Estes Drive to Homestead Road and instead create a 425-acre conservation preserve in the Bolin Creek Valley.
Bolin Creek member Mike Birenbach presented the commission with a petition, signed by 930 people, against paving the greenway.
“The idea that Carrboro would alter Bolin Creek in such a drastic way is appalling,†he said, adding that the city has a duty to keep the area as natural as possible. He encouraged leaders to use the money to add sidewalks and bike lanes.
Funds for the Bolin Creek and Morgan Creek greenways were included in a sidewalk bond referendum approved by Carrboro voters in 2003. The board of aldermen established the Greenways Commission in 2007 to guide the planning of the greenways.
Town staff and the greenways commission have been working with Greenways Inc. to develop the conceptual plan for new greenway trails along the Bolin Creek corridor between Estes Drive Extension and Homestead Road and the Jones Creek corridor on the northern part of Lake Hogan Farms.
Sections of the plan along Wilson Park have been given the go-ahead by the aldermen, but board members have indicated they are not planning on pursuing the greenway plans along Bolin Creek from Estes Drive Extension to Homestead at this time, pointing to a lack of funding for the project.
Save Bolin Creek members and other residents have strongly opposed the proposed 10-foot-paved greenway along that section of the creek.
Save Bolin Creek member Rob Crook said the construction of the 10-foot-paved greenway would be destructive to the riparian zone around the creek.
“There is a need to ensure that other resources are protected,†he said. “This water is an important tributary to Jordan Lake.â€
Proponents of the greenway say the paving would enable residents to use the path for non-motorized commuting to work and school and would increase access to the creek for all residents.
Ellen Perry, a representative of Advocates in Action, an advocacy group for the disabled, encouraged the commission to consider paving to improve access to the area for disabled residents.
“I have never been on the greenway because I cannot get there,†Perry said. “If you expect me to go all the way to Chapel Hill, where it is paved, to access it, forget it. I want access to it in Carrboro.â€
Another group, Advocates for Carrboro Greenways, requested to make a presentation before the commission; members scheduled it for their September meeting.
In addition, the commission tabled discussion of phases 1a, 1b and 2 of the plan, which include segments near Wilson Park, south of Homestead Road and along Jones Creek, until a meeting on July 19. The board has decided to proceed with phases 1 and 2 and has asked the commission to provide comments.