The Town of Tryon is nearing approving a contractor and beginning construction on a sewer line replacement along East Howard Street.
Tryon Town Council met Jan. 21 and heard from town manager Joey Davis. Davis said engineer Jonathan Hollifield had a recent meeting with the potential low bid contractor and Paula Kempton, with the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission (IPDC), which is administering the town’s grant.
Davis said as soon as Hollifield gives the town the green light, council will call a special meeting to consider approving a contract.
Tryon was approved for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help pay for the costs of a new, larger line. The total project is expected to be $701,907 with $537,738 coming from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding and $164,169 coming from the town.
The town is required to pay for part of the project because the state requires the line to be replaced with a 24-inch sewer line in order to handle the flows and the grant only allows for construction of lines up to 12 inches.
Tryon has fought the problem for many years with the issues coming during heavy rains.
The town has conducted studies, worked with DENR and suffered several fines from the state because of spills and overflows.
The town and state finally determined the only permanent fix is to replace the line with a larger line. Tryon was initially denied for the CDBG funding last year, but state officials later received a waiver because of Tryon’s critical need.
Once the town approves a contractor, construction can begin.