Spelter Volunteer Fire Department begins renovations after winning Lowe’s Hometowns grant

SPELTER, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Spelter Volunteer Fire Department began the long-awaited demolitions of its living quarters on Friday as part of a larger renovation project that officials hope will attract more volunteers.

The renovations were funded by a Lowe’s Hometown grant, which the department won in a contest back in June. Every year, Lowe’s donates $100,000,000 to go toward restoration projects for nonprofit organizations. Spelter was one of nine fire departments selected across the country and received $30,000.

These upgrades will be the first made in 20 years for Spelter, and the firefighters at the department are beyond grateful to be a part of the process.

“I’m ecstatic, you know. Being a third-generation firefighter, I’m just very humbled that I was able to assist this department with their growth,” Spelter VFD Vice President Zach Andrews said.

Andrews also told 12 News that he feels the Spelter VFD deserves this grant because of the relationships its members have with one another.

“When you come to a fire department, you all have the same purpose at the end of the day, it’s protecting your community, so you get to belong. We also get along with a lot of our mutual aid guys, hang out with them. It’s definitely a brother and sisterhood that goes a long way,” Andrews said.

Twenty Lowe’s employees from different store locations like Wheeling, Clarksburg, Morgantown and Washington, Pennsylvania came out to volunteer their time and assist in the process.

12 News spoke with Clarksburg Lowe’s employee and project captain, Brenda Miller, on how it felt to volunteer her time for a project like this.

“We love it, we love coming and volunteering our time and Lowe’s lets us do that, so it’s really good,” said Miller.

Renovations should wrap up for Spelter Volunteer Fire Department by the end up September, and the department plans to hold an open house for the public with games and raffles sometime afterward.

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