ANDERSON — The $26.5 million upfit to Anderson’s Rocky River Wasterwater Treatment plant that will allow for development along S.C. 81 and U.S. 29 moved a step closer to reality Monday.

In a unanimous vote, the council approved awarding the construction contract for the upfit to Wharton-Smith of Florida. The company was the lowest bidder among eight.

The work will allow the plant, on Kirkwood Drive near White Street, to handle 9.5 million gallons of wastewater instead of the 6.1 million-gallon capacity it has now. The expansion to the plant is part of the city’s sewer treatment master plan passed in 2003, Anderson City Utilities Director Jeff Caldwell said.

“This expansion ups the capacity so we can serve new development,” Caldwell said.

He said the Rocky River Wastewater Treatment Plant serves the city’s eastside. The expansion will open up areas of U.S. 29 North and S.C. 81 North, within the city limits, for development.

Other votes were taken at the Monday night meeting, also. One of those votes caused some discussion at the end of the council meeting.

It was the second and final reading of an ordinance to allow a developer to create some professional offices and small retail space on Rantowles Road, off East Greenville Street.

The change in zoning passed unanimously. However, at the end of the council meeting, a woman who opposed the zoning change stood up to speak. The woman did not want to give her name to the Independent-Mail and she only gave her first name when speaking on the floor of the council.

She said she was upset that the council did not ask for public comment before they took the second and final vote on the ordinance.

However, the council said they did not realize someone was in the audience, who was opposed to the project. Council member A.B. “Buck” Roberts said typically there is a public hearing before the first reading of an ordinance but residents are also allowed to address the council on an issue – all they have to do is to speak up in the meeting.

“If you want to say something in a meeting, you just stand up and address the mayor,” Roberts said. “We always want to give residents a chance to speak.”