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Dock was built without permits, vote 

 

TRYON-A contentious kayak dock at Lake Lanier has been removed at the behest of the Town of Tryon.

On Tuesday, April 18, a number of concerned citizens attended the Board of Commissioners meeting in Tryon to voice their opinions about the dock. Tryon Mayor Alan Peoples addressed the audience before letting them speak before the Board, assuring them that the dock would be removed.

Zoning and planning never received an application to build the dock, and the dock was erected without ever being voted on by the Board.

“A wire got crossed, I honestly don’t know. If you put all the pieces together, I’m not sure what happened on either side,” said Peoples.  “Suddenly it appeared, and now I’m getting nasty phone calls.”

The deciding factors for Mayor Peoples were the dock being built without first obtaining a permit or a vote from the Board, and that the dock was not located at least 150 feet away from the Lake Lanier dam, making it a violation of safety protocols.  

“Those two things were brought up [by the community], and I totally agree with them”, added Peoples.

“At the end of the day, let’s agree it’s all down to proper procedure. Let’s not let it affect our community spirit,” said Rodney Dofort, President of Lake Lanier Civic Association.

Many arguments made by the community against the dock cited examples from previous court cases, so the Mayor assumed that if the possibility of the dock being constructed arises again, it will defer to a court or an attorney. 

“I think it will eventually go to court.” Mayor Peoples added. “The question is, will it go to an N.C. court or an S.C. court.”