The painted ellipse, removed last week from Trade St. in downtown Tryon and the outline of which can still be seen, will not be coming back anytime soon. Tryon Town Council met Tuesday, Jan. 17 and announced that the town wouldn’t make a decision on the ellipse until after the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) completes a planned paving project along US 176 through downtown in 2018. The ellipse, which the town had painted with plans to put a compass in the middle, was removed by DOT last week after the state determined the paint did not meet requirements. (Photo by Michael O’Hearn)