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Raymond brought his concerns to the Friends of Bolin Creek a few years ago, McClintock said. The group opposed the project, she said, but had few options because it had been approved. They plan to work with town staff this week on a way to monitor the creek's health, she said. Town and Jordan Lake watershed rules do allow greenway construction in conservation districts, but those greenways must be designed, built and maintained in a way that reduces their impact. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources has approved the plan, Jensen said, They are using concrete for the trail, because it's better suited for poor soils and in areas that flood, he said. Some residents suggested a wider sidewalk on Umstead Drive would be better, even if it requires land from neighbors or juts out over the creek. The work should have been done a few years ago, they said, when OWASA put its new sewer line under Umstead Drive. That would have been more expensive, affected more neighbors and taken more trees from the creek's northern bank, Webster said. The town has created an online storymap (nando.com /1n -) to provide updates about the work. The map shows landscaping around the MILK Boulevard culvert and west along the greenway to Umstead Drive. Only a few stone retaining walls will be added on the southern side of the creek. Town staff will consider again this fall whether the trail along the creek should get new landscaping, he said. "We have the plans, and we generally follow the plans," he said. "But just as important, when you're in the field, you look at the reality." That is small comfort to Janet Tice, whose home overlooks the creek. Tice said she first learned the work was starting when crews cut down some of the trees. She never got the town's May letter alerting neighbors that the work would start in June, she said. "I fail to see how this is not going to be just a disaster when it comes to erosion and flooding," she said. Webster and Jensen invited residents to keep an eye on the work — from a safe distance — and call if they see possible problems. "We (welcome) people's ideas," Webster said. "We live in a community with a whole lot of smart folks."