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Withers-Ravenel submits scope of service for $144K

SALUDA—The City of Saluda is the first to approve a resolution for an operating agreement with Withers–Ravenel Engineers to inspect the water interconnect between Columbus, Saluda and Tryon. 

The Saluda Board of Commissioners met Monday and approved a resolution to for the operating agreement. The approval is contingent on the towns of Columbus and Tryon also approving the resolution. 

Withers–Ravenel submitted a proposal to engineer the interconnect, which currently does not work, for $144,000. 

The towns of Columbus and Tryon and City of Saluda connected its water systems years ago partially through a grant and partially through a fee to water customers to connect the systems in case of emergency situations. 

The interconnect did not work, especially between Tryon and Saluda, and the towns sued the engineer of the system, Joel Wood. After attorney fees and court costs, the towns won $170,000 total. 

The three towns all last year to hire Withers-Ravenel to assess damage and problems with the joint water line after requesting qualifications. The towns only received two bids for the engineering. 

The funding for the engineering, which will tell the towns what needs to be done to fix the issues, will be taken strictly from the lawsuit funds. 

The water line is located along Howard Gap Road between Tryon and Saluda and was installed several years ago to allow the three towns to exchange water in emergency situations. 

Columbus has said from the start it will not spend any more money on the system after the lawsuit settlement is spent. The towns could seek grants to actually fix the system, but all three enacted water user fees years ago to pay back an approximate $1.5 million loan to construct the system. The towns received a state grant to pay for another $1.5 million. The towns are expected to pay back the loan over 20 years, beginning with the completed construction of the line in 2008. 

Because the water line is located along Howard Gap Road, there are also other potential issues since heavy rains damaged the road in May 2018 and again at the beginning of 2019. A portion of Howard Gap Road has been closed since January 2019 as it is crumbling. The water line runs along that section of the road that is closed.