FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2022

City of Morgantown Wins Award for ARPA Community Engagement Efforts

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - On Thursday, the West Virginia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America awarded the City of Morgantown Communications Department with a Crystal Award for its outstanding community engagement efforts regarding the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The Award was presented to Morgantown Communications Director Andrew Stacy in Charleston at the annual PRSA WV Crystal Awards ceremony.

“This award is the result of a lot of support, planning and team work,” said Communications Director Andrew Stacy. “It was important for the city to hear from its residents on how to spend these funds and I’m glad we were able to provide a way for their voice to be heard. This award is an acknowledgement of those efforts and we’re thankful to the PRSA West Virginia Chapter for recognizing our team.” 

The City of Morgantown received $11,243,509 in ARPA funds, distributed in two installments, the first of which was received in late spring 2021. To ensure that the use of ARPA funds aligned with residents’ priorities, city administration used public comments as a blueprint for drafting Morgantown’s ARPA Action Plan.

The community engagement process took place from August 1, 2021, to September 1, 2021 and included the creation of an ARPA webpage, online survey, outreach materials and two community forums. The city’s engagement process and action plan have been used as guides for several other municipalities and it was highlighted as a leading example by the Southern Economic Advancement Project in its ARPA “Good Examples” report, which was referenced by the U.S. Treasury in its blog.

The PRSA WV Crystal Awards celebrates the campaigns and tactics of West Virginia’s public relations practitioners, agencies, and college students.

To learn more about Morgantown’s action plan, visit the city’s ARPA webpage.

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