MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Morgantown City Council unanimously approved a resolution to adopt a substantial amendment to multiple past annual action plans for the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement, reallocating funds toward a green space in Lower Greenmont.
City Manager Danielle (name on file with the city) told the council the amendment “realigns some funding away from projects that are unlikely to meet deadlines or other requirements under the program and reallocates them to programs and projects that meet some of the standards and objectives of the program.” The amendment moves funds previously earmarked for a pocket park at White Avenue and Hitchens Street after U.S. Census block-group boundary changes made that parcel ineligible for CDBG use, and shifts other allocations tied to delayed demolition activity and work on the Bartlett House.
The nut of the change is timeliness: the City Manager said the amendment is needed so Morgantown can continue to draw down its CDBG entitlement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). “If we don't execute the funds in a timely manner, we would be frozen and not eligible to receive future years of funding until we were able to draw that down,” the City Manager said.
Council members and staff said the new allocation keeps the funds within the Greenmont neighborhood and pairs green-space improvements with road work identified in the 2025 annual plan. Chris Fletcher, the city’s CDBG consultant, was available by phone during the discussion, according to the City Manager’s presentation materials.
Council moved and seconded the resolution and adopted it on a roll-call vote recorded by the clerk as: Joe Bugan — yes; Jody Hollingshead — yes; Wheezy Michael — yes; Jenny Celine — yes; Mark Downs — yes; Deputy Mayor Butcher — yes; Mayor Trumbull — yes. The clerk recorded the motion as passing 7–0.
The amendment does not increase Morgantown’s total CDBG entitlement; it reallocates existing funds to projects that staff and HUD officials expect can meet program deadlines. City staff said the substantial amendment was placed on public display, advertised with a July 30 notice and the city held a public hearing Aug. 19; the City Manager said there was “not necessarily substantial comment” at the public hearing but that materials remain available in city offices and online.
The council and staff said failure to adopt a timely reallocation could put future entitlement funding at risk because HUD requires grantees to meet timeliness and eligibility rules.
The resolution directs staff to proceed with property acquisition and design/contracting services related to the approved amendments and to continue coordinating with the land reuse agency and grant-writing staff on project implementation.