By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL – The Chapel Hill Town Council on Monday urged UNC officials to communicate clearly with the public as they move forward with a controversial project that involves the clearance of a corridor in the Carolina North Forest.
The council heard an update on the project as part of UNC’s development report.
Early next month, crews will begin clearing a 40-foot-wide swath through the forest for the installation of a ductbank from the Horace Williams Airport to Homestead Road, which will carry electrical and telecommunications wiring to facilities on the Carolina North property.
The clearing is estimated to take about six weeks. Construction of the ductbank will begin in February, and when the project is complete – estimated for next August – the clearing will be replanted, except for a 10-foot-wide access path for maintenance along the ductbank corridor, which will become a paved public greenway route through the Carolina North campus.
The plans have drawn criticism from members of the community who use the popular Pumpkin Loop trails for recreation. The ductbank will intersect the Pumpkin Loop at several points and will run near a segment of the trail. The future greenway will replace portions of the Pumpkin Loop, while some sections of the trail will be converted to narrower, single-track trails or be replanted.
While the actual ductbank will only be 42 inches wide, the 40-foot clearanceis necessary to provide construction vehicles access on either side without having to degrade the trench dug for the ductbank, according to Bruce Runberg, UNC’s associate vice chancellor for facilities planning.
“From a safety standpoint, this is just standard practice,†he said. “It’s really about the minimum we can get away with from a safety standpoint.â€
Mayor Pro Tem Jim Ward questioned why the project couldn’t have been designed to allow for less clearing in the forest.
“If you were going to do this, and you physically did not have that 40 feet, there are all sorts of ways you could solve that problem,†he said.
Council member Laurin Easthom said UNC officials should make sure to communicate information about the project, including the reasons behind the clearing, in a clear and easy-to-understand manner.
“It’s a huge impact. It’s going to dramatically change the forest. I’m there almost every day, and I know there’s a huge number of people that use it,†she said.
The plans for the ductbank and the greenway are part of the Carolina North Development Agreement approved by the Town of Chapel Hill and the UNC Board of Trustees in 2009.
Anna Wu, university architect and director of facilities planning for UNC, said that events already scheduled on the Pumpkin Loop this fall will continue as planned and that clearing work will be planned around those events.
However, she added, “There are going to be places and times where there are disruptions.â€
Trail users should check the Carolina North Forest Facebook page, tinyurl.com/4484tgz, for updates regarding trail closures. Updates will also be posted on-site at Carolina North Forest kiosks.