Marshfield Conservation Commission Approves Forest Street Trail and Bike Race Permits

MARSHFIELD — May 6, 2026 — Marshfield Conservation Commission greenlights a Forest Street trail extension and the fifth Carolina Hill Mountain Bike Classic while issuing permits at six properties. The commission unanimously approved a roughly 300-foot trail that will close an on-road gap in a multi-mile off-road corridor stretching from Forest Street to Carolina Hill, as well as the June 28 mountain bike race directed by Jeff Wilson of 26 Noel Road, with a rain date of July 11. A flood-zone patio project at 31 Island Street was continued to May 20 after commissioners determined that proposed fill of up to two feet across a 410-square-foot area near a salt marsh would require a notice of intent rather than the simpler determination-of-applicability filed. The Hatch Mill Group at 391 Union Street received approval for vegetation clearance, an ADA accessibility ramp, and a composting restroom at the historic 19th-century sawmill. A certificate-of-compliance dispute at 113 Bay Avenue was resolved when the commission accepted a documented 9.8 percent reduction in impervious surface — roughly 395 square feet of asphalt removed — in lieu of a replanting plan commissioners called overly ambitious for the constrained lot.