Town approves ordinance to take down dilapidated home

TRYON — After about two years of required actions, the town of Tryon is demolish-ing a dilapidated house in the Eastside Community at 363 E. Howard St. The Tryon Town Council met Tuesday and approved an ordinance that gives Code Enforcement Officer Tim Daniels the authority to hire a demolition contractor. Tryon Attorney William Morgan said the ordinance is the last step commissioners have to take after the house was deemed unsafe and not able to be legally occupied.

“The lien arises automatically for the amount spent,” Morgan said. “Sometimes, local governments are able to recoup that, and others times, they aren’t.” Commissioner Bill Ingham asked if the house can be demolished in about a month. Morgan answered yes. Town Manager Zach Ollis said as soon as the town finds a contractor that particular house can be demolished and town officials should have another house ready to be approved for demolition next month. Morgan said the town has several in the process, and more will be coming to commissioners in the next few months.Commissioner Crys Armbrust said this process has been going on for more than two years. He asked if some of them could be bundled and done together. Daniels said the current one on East Howard Street is a done deal, but the next two houses could be bundled. “This is my reason for ask-ing,” Armbrust said. “We have been asking for 15 years. We keep promising our citizens we are working on it, but we have done nothing that can be seen.” Tryon Mayor Alan Peoples said it is not like the town has done nothing. Ingham said there has not been anything torn down in the last five years.

“And I would like for that to not happen again,”Armbrust said. Tryon has budgeted annual funding for the demolition of dilapidated houses the past few years. Some have been demolished over the years, and others control burned by the town fire department. Some officials, including for-mer commissioners Warren Car-son and Roy Miller, frequently brought pictures to meetings over the past almost two decades urging the rest of the board to complete the necessary steps to rid the Eastside community of dilapidated structures. Morgan said people should see changes on the ground very soon with the current demolition as well as several others.