2025 to Bring New School Cell Phone Rules, Countywide Redevelopment
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
The year ahead will bring some big changes in the classroom, major redevelopment in the county’s towns and cities, including the repaving of Main Street in Downtown Anderson.
New Cell Phone Rules
When students return to class in Anderson County next week, new cell phone regulations will be in place statewide, forbidding the use of cell phones from “bell-to-bell.” Student cell phone use will not be allowed from the beginning of the school day to the end of the school day. Expect a few hiccups during the transition. All five school districts in the county have new policies in place, with some slight variations and have been communicating with parents and students on the new regulations.
Pendleton’s Cheney Mill Redevelopment Completion
The Cheney Mill development in Pendleton is expected to be completed in April. The project is a first for the town, with a district built near downtown that maintains the historic structure and nature of the old mill, which opened in 1906 and produced cotton yarn. It was listed in the National Register Jan. 29, 2018, and was one of 17 textile mills operating in Anderson County between 1900-1920. The two-story, L-shaped form of the mill has remained mostly unchanged since the early twentieth century, and the building retains a substantial amount of physical integrity, including more than half of its original eight-over-eight, double-hung wood-sash windows with eight-light transoms. The renovated building also retains its low-pitched gable roof, exposed rafter tails, segmental-arch window openings, a crenellated stair tower, and brick smokestack. Plans for the nearby property which formerly housed the Pendleton Oil Mill are also expected to be in place in 2025, offering another extension of Downtown Pendleton.
Main Street in Downtown Anderson to Be Repaved.
City of Anderson to Repave Main Street Downtown. The project, expected to begin sometime after the April soirée, will resurface the road from the corner of South Main and Reed Street to where Tribble Street connects to North Main Street. The cost for the half-mile stretch of road, which includes not only proper roads but parking spaces, is budgeted at $1.5 million. The city is currently lining up a list of underground infrastructure which needs to be addressed before the paving project begins. The paving is expected to be completed before the Christ tree lighting the first Friday in December.
Historic Courthouse Renovations
The $8 million restoration, renovation and repairs at the historic courthouse are expected to be completed before summer. Work on the structure, built in 1898, was long overdue with cracks in the walls, loose bricks and a failing tile roof.
Building a Map for Roadwork
Though specifics are available and leaders say work is still in the planning stages, Anderson County and its cities and towns will be looking for new sources to fund the repair/replacement of crumbling roads and bridges. The narrow failure of the November one-penny sales tax referendum left few options for roads and bridges, more than a third of which were designated in failing condition in results from a study on all of the county’s roads released in 2024, and that number is expected to rise.
Mill Sites Cleanup/Redevelopment
In ongoing work, cleanup at redevelopment plans at old mill sites (Chiquola, Jackson, Blair Mills) in the county in Honea Path, Iva and Belton are expected to be in place before the end of 2025. Leaders in all three towns expect progress this year. Though no announcements have been made, officials also expect progress in the cleanup/redevelopment at the Equinox Mill site and on the Chemtex property, both adjacent to Downtown Anderson.
Cater’s Lake Project Completion
The City of Anderson’s $5.8 million Cater’s Lake renovations which will include walking trails, landscaping, environmentally friendly islands in the pond for the ducks/geese, a covered bridge architectural structure to improve visuals, additional areas for picnic tables and grassy play areas. Plans to dredge the lake to recover top soil are also in the works are expected to be completed by December. The South Carolina Department of Transportation will turn Hiawatha Drive into a cul-de-sac and add a traffic light at the East Mauldin Road/S.C. 81 intersection, to increase safety in the area as well.
Pelzer Theater to Get Major Upgrade
The historic Pelzer Theater, home of the Mill Town Players, will finalize plans for a major overhaul of the auditorium beginning after the Christmas shows at the end of 2025, with plans for new seating (with more leg room), wider/lighted aisles, and the restoration of the orchestra pit. The work is funded by r a $1 million South Carolina Parks and Tourism Management grant in conjunction with private funds to overhaul the auditorium, with the goals of greater accessibility, comfortable seating with more spacious aisles, new lighting and other improvements. Fundraising efforts are under way to complete funding for the project.
Entertainment/Recreation
In other entertainment/recreation news, 2025 will have a few changes in some annual events. The 14th Saluda River Rally and the 4th annual Rhythm on the River will merge events into a single festival/kayak event at Dolly Cooper Park. The date and other details have yet to be announced. The Anderson Soirée in April is expected to feature another headline musical act on April 25, after the success of last year’s concert which brought at least new-record crowds downtown. The Anderson Civic Center will host the return in July of “Rock The Country,” an event that attracted 41,000 to the concert grounds in 2024. The civic center will also host the annual Labor Day “Celebrate Anderson,” in September, with a lineup announcement expected by summer.
Dolly Cooper Park also expects to have new pickleball courts by autumn. The eight new courts are being built with a $573,151 state.Over the past decade, the park has emerged from acres of rough terrain and scrub pines into one of the county’s largest parks, complete with an accessible kayak launch, football field, softball field, walking track along the Saluda River and a disc golf course.
