TRYON – The Tryon Downtown Development Association (TDDA) is gathering ideas from the residents of Tryon to incorporate in the town’s business and development plan to be presented to town council.

The TDDA placed an “I Wish Downtown Tryon Had” sign in front of the clock tower downtown in December to generate responses as to what Tryon residents wish the town would do, or would have, in 2017 and kept the banner up through the Tryon Midnight event on New Year’s Eve.

According to Jamie Carpenter, executive director of the TDDA, the top three wishes generated by the banner for Tryon in 2017 included a brewery, a dog park and rails to trails. Other responses included a sidewalk to Harmon Field, a hangout spot for kids and teens and public restrooms, Carpenter said.

An estimated 275 responses were taken into consideration by the TDDA after the banner came down, Carpenter said. They were combined in a “word cloud” Carpenter made with the top responses to take to town council.

Carpenter said she is meeting with her board this week to determine when to present the findings to Tryon council.

The North Carolina Small Town Main Street Program, the Office of Urban Development and the North Carolina Department of Commerce created Tryon’s business and development plan in 2008. The TDDA and the Town of Tryon assisted in creating the document that outlines the economic impact of businesses on the town.