Tryon Mayor Alan Peoples recently expressed disappointment in not being able to get water to his constituents as efficiently as possible. The town undertook $3 million in water plant upgrades in 2009 that should have been completed last year. The purpose was to comply with new state guidelines. Delays included trout spawning, a stop order from the Tryon Garden Club over siltation concerns, placement of sandbags to appease the garden club, and securing of permits from the Army Corps of Engineers to place the sandbags. Added costs have included $10,000-15,000 for sandbagging, $12,000 for permitting and legal costs, $5000 a month for using the older pump station instead of the new gravity-fed one, and at least three trips wasted when the South Carolinian civil engineer arrived on location to meet with delays.
TBD: Permits submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers in January need to move.
