Engineer hopes to break ground this summer

The Town of Tryon hired Watermark Engineering P.A. to design a much needed sewer line replacement along East Howard Street.

Council met Feb. 19 and approved a $67,400 engineering contract that includes designing the approximate 2,900 linear foot sewer line. The contract includes $38,200 for the engineering design, $19,200 for construction administration and $10,000 for surveying and mapping prior to the design.

Johathan Hollifield with Watermark attended council’s meeting and said the survey will take two weeks and the drawings will take a month to a month and a half.

He said he hopes the town can break ground on the project this summer. Hollifield also said construction of the line will likely take three months.

Besides replacing the sewer lines, the project will also include the installation of 15 manholes.

After dealing with sewage issues for years along East Howard Street, namely problems with sewage spilling into yards and one home in particular during heavy rains, Tryon was awarded a grant from the Community Development Block Grant to replace the aged sewer line. The town in December 2012 approved a $701,907 budget ordinance and agreement with the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission (IPDC) to administer the grant.

The grant will include $537,738 with the town contributing $164,169 due to the size of the sewer line needed for the project.

The town’s portion will pay for the upsize of the pipe from a 12-inch line, which the grant approved, to a 24-inch line, which the state required.