MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — New Morgantown City Manager Jamie Miller continues to make her rounds to meet face-to-face with other Morgantown area public officials.
The Monongalia County Commission spoke with Miller during their regular meeting Wednesday, where she expressed excitement in working with the three commissioners as she begins to slowly work into the position. As members of the commission made their formal introductions, with one immediately pointing out concerns involving county and city-related projects, Miller emphasized the goal of increasing local collaborations as she continues to settle into the new role.
“I’m thrilled to be here, I do look forward to working closely with the county on our shared priorities and the things that we can work together on,” said Miller, addressing the commission during their meeting.
While each of the commissioners took time separately towards the end of their meeting to formally welcome Miller into Morgantown, Commissioner Tom Bloom almost immediately requested more information on the impending move of Milan Puskar Health Right out of their downtown Morgantown headquarters. This stems from an approximately $2.16 million investment from the county, the city, as well as the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust and the Milan Puskar Foundation to move Health Right over to 10 Scott Avenue, which has been delayed over six months past the originally planned January 2025 move-in. With no updates to the county regarding any progress, Bloom requested Miller to inquire about the move so that the county can plan or help if needed.
“Can you find out when Health Right is going to move?” said Bloom in the request to Miller on Wednesday. “We have asked, and (Assistant City Manager) Emily (Muzzzarelli) has been kind of filling in, but this is a lot of money that the city and the county have put in, and there’s very little confirmation or feedback.
Milan Puskar Health Right announced back in March that easement issues related to the sale of the property has delayed the relocation.
For Bloom, the issues related to communications between county administrators and the City of Morgantown stemmed over several years with issues outside of the Milan Puskar Health Right relocation. This varies from communications with the city related to projects that have taken place in other municipalities and policies implemented for numerous city departments to county-supported programs and initiatives that require reaching out to multiple parties. While commending Morgantown Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli on her efforts involving the county, Bloom encouraged Miller to keep lines of communication open so past issues don’t need to be readdressed.
“I think it’s real important to know where we were, where we are now, and the future that you’re going to be a part of,” said Bloom. “I’ve had an exceptional relationship with Emily, we don’t always agree, but I can tell you if you call, she responds immediately, and she’s probably been the only person in the administration that has done that in years.”
For Miller, the call for increased collaborations with the City of Morgantown and neighboring entities emphasized what has been said in the first two weeks since she officially took over for former Interim Morgantown City Manager Damien Davis. This is based on her time serving in a combination of municipal positions in the city of Port Orange, Florida, as well as city manager for Paris, Kentucky, where local collaborations were considered vital to keep those respective cities functioning properly. With a request already made on a county level, Miller appears ready to take on the challenges to avoid issues of the past.
“I’m a big believer in collaboration, and we can get a lot more done together,” said Miller. “So thank you for all your time, and I’m happy to be here.”