SPENCER, WEST VIRGINIA, December 9th
Public filings from the City of Spencer and formal records issued through state and federal programs provide a detailed picture of the infrastructure activity now moving through the city’s administrative and development pipeline. Appalachian Post conducted a direct review of the underlying documents, relying entirely upon the City of Spencer public notice, the West Virginia state mitigation award records, and the federal appropriations record that list each project in explicit terms. These filings enable a clear account of what has been formally authorized, what stages of review have been completed and what obligations the city is now preparing to carry out.
The most extensive single entry in the city’s own records concerns the Schoolhouse Hill Water Line Replacement project. The City of Spencer public notice, which includes the Request for Release of Funds and the Finding of No Significant Impact, documents the age and condition of the existing cast iron water lines, which have remained in service for well over sixty five years. The notice states that the city has secured one million one hundred fifty thousand dollars in Community Development Block Grant funding, forming the majority share of the listed total cost of one million two hundred thousand dollars. These filings also describe the completion of the environmental review process required before federal funds may be accessed, confirming that the project satisfied the requirements for release without triggering elevated environmental conditions. Together, these documents establish the precise standing of the project as the city has formally recorded it.
Further infrastructure detail appears not in city filings but in state maintained summaries of mitigation funding. The West Virginia state mitigation award record for Spencer Wastewater Line Mitigation Improvements assigns three million eight hundred eighty thousand dollars to relocate wastewater collection lines that currently sit in areas vulnerable to flooding. The same record specifies that the city will expand pumping and surge storage capacity at the wastewater treatment facility, a measure intended to reduce operational strain during high water events. These state records describe the purpose of the allocation, the conditions that the project is designed to address and the structural improvements that the funding supports, reflecting the official description used for state-level documentation.
A second entry in the state’s mitigation program concerns dam safety within Spencer. The West Virginia state mitigation award record for the Miletree One Dam Modification project lists five hundred thirty five thousand dollars in funding and states that the permanent pool of the dam will be lowered ten feet. According to the record, this action responds to structural evaluations identifying risks that could affect downstream areas if left unaddressed. The document provides the amount, the purpose and the specific adjustment planned for the dam, representing the complete first hand description available through the program.
Housing and redevelopment efforts in the downtown district also appear in federal records rather than city filings. The federal appropriations record designates one million five hundred thousand dollars for rehabilitation of the Chandler Building, describing the project as the creation of residential housing units inside the historic structure. The record identifies the Spencer Development Authority as the entity responsible for the rehabilitation work and places the funding within a broader federal effort to support community revitalization in small municipal centers. This entry provides the amount, the stated purpose and the assigned recipient without further elaboration, which is typical of this category of federal documentation.
While local reporting from the Spencer Record & Reporter offers narrative coverage of recent council discussions connected to these projects, Appalachian Post’s review of the underlying documents found that the primary records provide a fuller and more stable foundation for understanding the city’s infrastructure activity. These filings together show a coordinated set of improvements, each recorded through the appropriate governmental channel and each supported by formal notices, grant allocations or federal budget line items. The documents reflect a period of simultaneous water, wastewater, dam safety and housing rehabilitation efforts that together shape the city’s present development course.
The Appalachian Post is an independent West Virginia news outlet dedicated to clean, verified, first-hand reporting. We do not publish rumors. We do not run speculation. Every fact we present must be supported by original documentation, official statements, or direct evidence. When secondary sources are used, we clearly identify them and never treat them as first-hand confirmation. We avoid loaded language, emotional framing, or accusatory wording, and we do not attack individuals, organizations, or other news outlets. Our role is to report only what can be verified through first-hand sources and allow readers to form their own interpretations. If we cannot confirm a claim using original evidence, we state clearly that we reviewed first-hand sources and could not find documentation confirming it. Our commitment is simple: honest reporting, transparent sourcing, and zero speculation.
Primary First Hand Sources
• City of Spencer public notice for the Schoolhouse Hill Water Line Replacement project, including the Request for Release of Funds and Finding of No Significant Impact.
• West Virginia state mitigation award record for Spencer Wastewater Line Mitigation Improvements, documenting three million eight hundred eighty thousand dollars for relocation of wastewater lines and expansion of pumping and surge capacity.
• West Virginia state mitigation award record for the Miletree One Dam Modification project, documenting five hundred thirty five thousand dollars and the planned ten foot lowering of the permanent pool.
• Federal appropriations record listing one million five hundred thousand dollars for the Spencer Development Authority’s rehabilitation of the Chandler Building for downtown housing.
Secondary Attribution Based Sources
• Reporting published by the Spencer Record & Reporter summarizing recent discussion by city officials related to these projects.
Appalachian Post 
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