Hundreds of people use the Bolin Creek Greenway in Chapel Hill to bike, walk, and be close to nature. The goal of NEXT’s Carrboro Linear Parks Project is to build out Carrboro’s greenway networks. These “missing greenways” will help connect our schools, parks, and trails.
Good morning!
We wanted to provide a few updates related to the Bolin Creek Greenway in Carrboro:
- Last Saturday’s greenway walk was postponed. Stay tuned!
- Public engagement on Phases 3 & 4 will wrap up by the end of October 2023
- Current Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils will not seek re-election
- The Town of Chapel Hill approved funds to extend its Bolin Creek Greenway to Carrboro
⭐ Greenway walk scheduled for April 22nd postponed, next walk on May 20th ⭐
We had to postpone a scheduled greenway walk with Bill Webster, longtime greenway planner for the Town of Chapel Hill, which was to be held this past Saturday. Bill had to reschedule and there are so many other events happening on Saturday that we decided to reschedule. Tentatively we will host a greenway walk with Bill Webster in June.
On May 20th at 3pm we will have a very special guest, Dr. Barbara Doll from NCSU. Dr. Doll is a Professional Engineer and ecological restoration expert. This is a great opportunity to learn about how a greenway trail along Bolin Creek can serve as a stream restoration project. Details about this event will be coming out soon!
⭐ Carrboro Town Council votes to conclude public engagement by October 2023, vote to follow ⭐
At its March 28th meeting, the Carrboro Town Council voted to conduct a tight public engagement campaign to determine the alignment for Phases 3 & 4 of the Bolin Creek Greenway. The council’s resolution directs staff to conclude public engagement by the end of October, focus on engaging with residents who the town has not heard from, and limit the scope of the engagement to which alignment the greenway will have. (Remember, the town already voted back in 2009 to build a greenway; we’re just deciding now which alignment the greenway will have – i.e. the preferred creekside alignment or something else).
What this means is that after the public engagement is complete we should see a resolution and a vote before the end of the year to proceed with the preferred alignment outlined in the adopted 2009 plan, which is to co-locate the greenway trail with the existing sewer easement. This is great news! We have been waiting thirteen years for this decision. The council voted 6-1 to proceed with this public engagement plan, with Randee Haven-O’Donnell voting against.
⭐ Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils not seeking re-election ⭐
We are saddened to learn that Mayor Damon Seils will not seek re-election this year. Damon has been instrumental in moving the Bolin Creek Greenway project forward at the Town Council. The Mayor presides over the Town Council meetings, and Damon has done an excellent job with managing how the meetings have been run. We are hoping that the next Mayor of Carrboro is also a champion for active transportation and equitable access to greenspace just as Damon has been. Staying informed about the upcoming local election in November is as important as it’s ever been, and we encourage you to keep an eye out for NEXT’s candidate endorsements this fall.
⭐ Town of Chapel Hill approves $500k to design Bolin Creek Greenway extension to Carrboro ⭐
Big news out of Chapel Hill this week. At their April 19th meeting, the Chapel Hill Town Council voted to spend $500k to design an extension of the Bolin Creek Greenway from Umstead Park to Estes Drive in Carrboro. This is a very positive development since it would mean that the towns could connect their greenway networks together at Estes Drive. If Carrboro moves forward with building the creekside alignment of its Bolin Creek Greenway, residents from both towns would travel from northern Carrboro all the way to Community Center Park in Chapel Hill without ever crossing paths with a car!
That’s it for now. Thank you for your continued interest in the Bolin Creek Greenway in Carrboro. You can always make a donation to NEXT, our parent organization, and help support efforts to improve equity and access to housing and transportation in your community.
Also, join us for our First Thursday Happy Hour on May 4th, 2023. We will be at Steel String from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Come talk about your favorite greenway!
⭐ Upcoming events! ⭐
May 4th | 6-8 PM | First Thursday with NEXT | Steel String Brewery
May 7th | 10 AM-12 PM | Playground to Playground Bike Ride | Umstead Park
May 20 | 3 PM | May Greenway Walk with Dr. Barbara Doll, NCSU | Details TBA
Thank you, as always, for following along. Bye for now!
Sincerely,
The Carrboro Linear Parks Project
What is the Carrboro Linear Parks Project?
What is NEXT Chapel Hill-Carrboro?
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