SUBMITTED PHOTOThe inaugural launch of the WE Program involves 19 Central Carolina Technical College students and 17 business and industry partners from Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter counties.
Officials with Clarendon County and the city of Manning say Weldon is all clear of sewer issues.
"The problem was never really as serious as it was made out to be," said Weldon Administrator Ansley DuRant.
According to County Administrator David Epperson, county engineer Billy Timmons and city Public Works Director L. Rubin Hardy met earlier this week to look at the problem.
"I've looked at the lines themselves, and they seem fine," Hardy said Monday.
DuRant said Friday that the problem was with a bathroom in the Clarendon Community Center, also known as the old high school gymnasium.
"People were putting those brown paper towels in the toilet, and it got backed up," she said. "That was the extent of the problem."
DuRant said Weldon itself was never an issue, but that a concert scheduled for Tuesday night was moved "out of courtesy to the church."
"I called them to let them know that we shouldn't have a problem, because Weldon itself wasn't affected, but it was a courtesy call to let them know so they could make a decision," DuRant said.
No other events were ever affected. Weldon has a busy week toward the end of January and beginning of February.
"We have Carolina Dance Academy having a dance competition on Jan. 31," DuRant said. "Then the elementary school has Aladdin on Feb. 3, and then Antioch has a Gospel Explosion on Feb. 7."
And, of course, there's Travis Tritt, tickets for which are still on sale. Tritt will be in concert Feb. 5.
"We've inspected the plumbing in the Community Center, and the clog was discovered, and removed. There will be no further problems," Epperson said. "We will continue to monitor the system."
DuRant said the brown paper towels as a hand-drying option have been removed.
"They're replacing them with the hand dryers so this doesn't happen again," she said.
