Resting in the neck of the woods of Carrboro is the Carolina North Forest, the last untouched forested land of the town — but possibly not for long.
A plan to put a 10-foot wide pavement trail along the 1.7 mile stretch of the forest’s Bolin Creek has become a major subject of controversy, and people on all sides of the issue are very angry.
The Bolin Creek controversy has pitted two different groups of environmentalists against one another: the Friends of Bolin Creek, who say the area should remain a pristine natural area, and most members of the Carrboro Greenways commission, who argued that paving a sewer easement and opening the park up to runners and cyclists has its own environmental benefits.
The fight over the trail started back in the early 2000s, when the Carrboro Board of Aldermen first conceptualized the Bolin Creek Greenway, eager to give Carrboro residents greater access to the outdoors. The plan was formally adopted in 2009, with five phases of development.
Phase 1a of the greenway runs through Wilson Park and was completed in 2013. Phase 2 connects the suburban neighborhood of Lake Hogan Farms and Morris Grove Elementary.