Spindale Council Approves Highway Project Deal, Honors Community Milestones

Town commits $250,000 to DOT improvements as RS Central and Spindale Drug Company mark 100 years

SPINDALE — At the Sept. 15 Spindale town council meeting, officials approved a cost-sharing agreement with the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for a long-planned Main Street project, while also celebrating two local institutions turning 100.

Council members committed $250,000 toward road widening and revitalization efforts to connect Rutherfordton and Spindale, which is scheduled to begin right-of-way acquisition this fall and full construction in 2026. The project was first announced in August 2022, and a public meeting was held in October 2024. The town will also assume responsibility for sidewalk and landscaping maintenance and cover 1.3 percent of any future cost overruns.

NCDOT Senior Project Engineer Hannah Smith told the council the step was needed to keep the project on track. “Once you start buying right-of-way and moving utilities, we’d like to move to construction. And if we don’t, we have to give the money back to the federal government (past the 2026 grant deadline). Nobody wants that,” she said.

To save an estimated $1.7 million, Smith recommended cutting a section of new sidewalk between Indiana and Illinois streets, though that decision left some council members uneasy. “You’re going to look nice up here, and then you’re going to get to Indiana and start down here,” Mayor Walker said. Ultimately, the board voted to accept the change, with Commissioner Amy Cowan recusing due to property ownership in the affected area.

The meeting also included celebrations of community history. The council issued proclamations recognizing the 100th anniversaries of RS Central High School and Spindale Drug Company. Mayor Nancy Walker praised the legacy of RS Central, which opened in 1925, as “a central role in the education and development of Rutherford County students.”

Spindale Drug Company co-owner Bill Koonce thanked the town for its partnership. “We’ve been here since the town was two years old,” he said. “As y’all do a great job serving the citizens of Spindale, we’ve tried to do the same thing serving their healthcare needs.”

Spindale Drug Co. 100th Anniversary

For the Sept. 20 centennial celebration, the council voted to activate the Tanner Alley social district, allowing downtown visitors to carry beer and wine during the festivities. “Don’t forget to come out on Saturday,” Koonce told the board. “It’s a big to-do, a big birthday party.”

Other business included:

• Adoption of capital project budgets for workforce housing development and for upgrades at the Oak Street Pump Station, supported by $1.85 million in state water infrastructure funding.

  
  

• Approval of a $52,345 loan through the state treasurer’s cash flow program and authorization to apply for up to $5 million in new wastewater grant funding.

  
  

The council’s 54-page agenda packet balanced recognition of local institutions reaching 100 years with decisions shaping Spindale’s future infrastructure, housing, and downtown development. From honoring schools and businesses to advancing a multimillion-dollar transportation project, the meeting underscored how the town is linking its history with long-term growth.