MORGANTOWN — An Elvis impersonator, a potter and a stargazer walked into an old train depot.
Which one threw the peanut butter?
This is a question a very specific handful of academics can answer.
Class 3 of the Morgantown Citizens Academy to be specific.
One dozen intrepid souls embarked on an eight-week journey this past week.
Their destination — municipal mastery and an April 30 graduation in the newly renovated Morgantown City Hall.
Morgantown Special Projects Coordinator Nikki Lauffer is curating the experience.
“As a city, we just really want the opportunity to build comradery with our citizens. Like Emily [Muzzarelli] was saying, an engaged citizen is one that can help bring ideas to the city, or join a board or commission, or join a neighborhood association. The more opportunities and touchpoints we have to build relationships, the better,” she said.
The MCA program began in 2021. It took a year off in 2023 and returned this year with a goal to do a lot less talking and a lot more doing.
The participants will formulate a city budget, don fire gear, make their own street signs and, hopefully, make new friends along the way.
They’ll also get a good look at city facilities, including the historic train depot, the Morgantown Police Department’s public safety training center, the Northside Fire Station, the city garage, the Spruce Center, the Morgantown Municipal Airport and, finally, Morgantown City Hall.
“We just want it to be more hands-on, because there’s nothing more boring than just sitting, listening to people talk for two hours,” Lauffer said.
“We also just want to build a cohort feel in this. We have some new residents here. We have people who have lived in Morgantown their entire lives. You never know the connections you can help the community make within itself.”
The initial gathering included some city history as well as a discussion of city government from Mayor Jenny Selin, Assistant City Manager Muzzarelli, City Clerk Christine Wade and others.
Nancy Wasson has been a city resident for 53 years. Not for nothing, she reads The Dominion Post every day (Hi, Nancy!).
“I pay attention to what’s going on as far as local government and state government. When I learned about this opportunity, I thought ‘You know, there’s so much I don’t know. I need to become a little more familiar with how things actually work, and sometimes don’t work,” she said. “That’s really why I decided to get involved. I’m really excited and I think it’s going to be a good course, and a lot of fun.”
