With the approval of a Community Development Block Grant to upgrade Tryon’s main trunk sewer line along East Howard Street, council approved a $701,907 budget ordinance and agreement with Isothermal Planning and Development Commission (IPDC) to administer the grant.

Tryon Town Council met Dec. 18 and approved the ordinance and other language to comply with the grant.

The town was awarded a $537,738 grant for the project and will have to contribute $164,169 due to the size of the sewer line needed for the project.

The project will include $25,607 in administration to IPDC, sewer improvements of $512,131 of the grant and the over $164,000 from the town to upsize the pipe from a 12-inch line to a 24-inch line.

The town is being required to pay for part of the project because the state is requiring the East Howard Street main sewer line 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.

The East Howard Street area has suffered from sewage spills for years during heavy rains with the town doing repairs and studies over the years but determined the pipe is simply too small for the current flow and the only permanent fix is to replace the line.

The town has been discussing the grant for about a year with the Tryon initially being denied due to lack of funding. State officials, however, received a waiver due to the critical need and environmental concern of Tryon’s problems and were approved earlier this year.

The town is being required to pay for part of the project because the state is requiring the East Howard Street main sewer line 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’s $164,169 includes funding to pay for the oversized line required by the state as well as a required five-percent local match to the grant.

Tryon has not yet discussed where its portion of the match will come from nor the timeline of construction.

The scope of services from IPDC says the proposal is to complete all activities involved in the administration of the project in a 30-month period beginning Dec. 18, 2012.