Mayor Patrick Farrell

History in Huntington.

For the first time ever, we're proud to host the WVSSAC high school baseball tournament at our home baseball field!

Play ball!

WVSSAC Baseball Tournament gets underway today. Full slate of Class A action. Follow here: https://bit.ly/4dZwEgf

Some days tell the story of a city.

Today was one of those days.

The morning started with the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission State Baseball Tournament at Jack Cook Field and the WV Hot Dog Festival downtown. Along the way, I met people from across West Virginia and even a Huntington native who traveled from Buffalo, New York to spend the weekend back home. I also took the opportunity to recruit one of the festival vendors to consider opening a new location in Huntington.

Later, I met with the Black Pastors Association to discuss reducing gun violence and supporting the A. D. Lewis Community Center and its after-school programs.

I spent time with leaders from the Southside Garden Club and Beverly Hills Garden Club as they prepare beautiful red, white, and blue displays with Huntington In Bloom ahead of America's 250th anniversary. While at Memorial Arch, I paused to remember the sacrifice of those who served on the anniversary of D-Day and to honor our local heroes.

The day continued at Tri-State Arts Association Art in the Park event at Ritter Park, where local artists were showcasing their incredible work, and somehow ended with me singing alongside Voices Of The Valley - WV.

Baseball. Hot dogs. Faith. Service. Sacrifice. Gardening. Art. Music.

There really was something for everyone today. More importantly, there were people all across our city investing their time, talent, and energy to make Huntington a better place.

A city full of people like that is a city moving forward and on the rise!

Huntington in Progress: June 4, 2026
- The Hub operating independently as a standalone nonprofit
- Downtown Patrol Unit active across the Central Business District
- WV American Water’s proposal and our focus on transparency and public input
- Highlawn sewer and stormwater separation moving forward ahead of Kroger Marketplace construction
- Summer events season begins across Huntington
- WV Hot Dog Festival and WVSSAC State Baseball Tournament this weekend

Full post in the comments.

A little stream restoration lesson from Fourpole Creek.

In a natural stream system, a root ball like this is often a good thing. It creates habitat for fish and aquatic life, slows water down, captures sediment, and helps reconnect the stream to its floodplain during high-water events. In the right setting, these features are part of a healthy, functioning stream.

The challenge is that Fourpole Creek flows through an urban environment surrounded by homes. When large root balls and debris accumulate in the channel, they can trap additional debris, restrict water flow, and increase the risk of flooding upstream.

That’s why our Public Works crews are carefully removing obstructions like these as part of our broader flood mitigation efforts.

There is always a balance between stream ecology and public safety. In this case, reducing flood risk for residents has to be the priority.

Thank you to our Public Works team for doing the hard work of keeping Fourpole Creek flowing and protecting our neighborhoods.

West Virginia American Water has notified the City of Huntington that it is interested in proposing a strategic wastewater infrastructure partnership with the City.

The concept under discussion would involve WV American Water acquiring the City’s wastewater collection system while establishing a long-term operating agreement for the wastewater treatment plant, which would remain under City ownership.

I am sharing this now because these are public assets, and the public needs to be included in the discussion from the beginning.

The details of any potential partnership have not been finalized. As more information becomes available, it will be released publicly so residents can fully understand the potential financial impact for the City, the implications for ratepayers, and the long-term benefits and obligations for our community.

Huntington has significant legacy infrastructure needs. That includes our floodwall and levee system, Fourpole Creek stormwater flooding, street flooding, and combined sewer overflow liabilities. These are serious challenges that require long-term planning, major capital investment, and public accountability.

This is not simply a question of whether the City would sell an asset. The real question is whether a structured partnership could help Huntington address major long-term infrastructure challenges while protecting ratepayers, current employees, and critical City-owned assets.

Based on our initial understanding from WV American Water, any proposal would include an affordability program designed to provide meaningful bill assistance to qualifying low-income households. These programs are approved by the WV Public Service Commission and administered in coordination with the WV Department of Human Services. WV American Water has indicated that as many as two in five Huntington households may qualify for discounted wastewater rates if a partnership is completed.

I have asked WV American Water to meet with each member of Huntington City Council so they can better understand the unique concerns of each district.

I have also asked them to schedule a public town hall to present their concept and hear directly from residents about the questions and concerns they may have.

Before any decision is made, residents deserve clear answers about what is being considered, what assets would remain under City ownership, how rates could be affected, what this would mean for current employees, and how any partnership would help Huntington address its long-term infrastructure needs.

Any transaction would require public review, approval by Huntington City Council, and approval by the WV Public Service Commission.

We are going to evaluate this carefully, transparently, and in the best long-term interest of Huntington.

“We need to make sure that we do everything we can to minimize flooding within the city.” - Mark Bates, Director of Huntington’s Public Works Department

City runs intense cleanup of Fourpole Creek to prevent future flooding Officials with the city of Huntington, West Virginia, are taking action to prevent future flooding by cleaning up debris along Fourpole Creek, involving drone inspections and heavy equipment operations.

A proud day indeed!

Today’s promotions were a testament to leadership, responsibility, and the trust earned through years of service. The medals presented recognized meritorious service and acts of valor performed under the toughest conditions.

Congratulations to each of these firefighters for their commitment to serving Huntington.

Thank you to the West Virginia AWWA/WEA for the invitation to speak at this year’s Joint Water Conference.

It was a great opportunity to talk with water professionals from across the state about the real infrastructure challenges communities are facing and the major investments underway in Huntington involving our sewer system, floodwall, and levee system.

These professionals do incredibly important work every day to protect public health, public safety, and our quality of life. I appreciate everything they do for communities across West Virginia!

AWWA WV Section

Mayor Patrick Farrell joined employees of the Huntington Water Quality Board and Sanitary Board today at the joint annual conference of the West Virginia Section of the American Water Works Association and the West Virginia Water Environment Association at Canaan Valley Resort.

Farrell delivered the keynote address about the challenges and ongoing capital improvement projects for Huntington’s sewer system and floodwall and levee.