MORGANTOWN — During the Nov. 25 council meeting the city manager delivered multiple operational updates, including trash pickup schedules, a new planner hire, warming shelter progress and a holiday lighting pilot.

The city announced Republic Services will slide Thursday and Friday collection to Friday and Saturday during Thanksgiving week, with earlier start times on game day to accommodate a home football game. The manager said a planner position that had been vacant was recently filled to help advance development services initiatives, process improvements and regulatory reviews.

On the warming shelter the manager reported Catholic Charities is pushing to shorten the timeline and is actively interviewing temporary staff; roughly 35 applications have been received, and hiring will be subject to background checks. Renovations at the proposed location (West Run) are underway and staff are coordinating transportation options, including discussions about a potential van funding source.

City staff also described a pilot to add holiday lights downtown for the season, with a plan to remove lights promptly after the holidays to protect trees and to evaluate the pilot’s impacts next year. The manager said staff will coordinate with the city’s Tree Board on installation methods that minimize harm to trees.

The manager closed by thanking staff and council and wishing the community a safe Thanksgiving.