Arthur Morris chaired his final Lancaster County Convention Center Authority (LCCCA) Board Meeting on Thursday evening. The meeting, much like any other, dealt with a moderate list of project change orders, bid awards, and bill payments. But, near the meeting’s conclusion, the Board voted unanimously (with members Sharon Nelson and Laura Douglas absent) to elect Kevin Fry as the new Board Chairman and Sharon Nelson as Secretary.

At the June 25 LCCCA meeting, Morris announced his resignation, effective the last day of July.

In his departing remarks, Morris paid special tribute to both the staff that served alongside him and members of the local community that involved themselves in the process: “I feel we have a unique set of people, characters, professionals—a wonderful set of people,” Morris said.

State Senator Gib Armstrong, a supporter of the Convention Center project from its early inception, attended the meeting to honor Morris for his hard work and tenacity in leading the Board. Also, Josh Nowak of Interstate Hotels & Resorts thanked Morris for his years of service.

Among members of the Board, R. B. Campbell and Ted Darcus recognized Morris’s contribution to the Authority. Campbell, who joined the Board around the same time as Morris, thanked the resigning Chairman for freely committing significant time and effort to ensuring that issues were resolved with due diligence. Darcus, the previous Chairman of the LCCCA, expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to work with Morris, and succinctly honored Morris’s particular form of leadership.

Randolph Carney, a longtime follower of the Convention Center project, echoed the accolades from the speakers, and concluded by noting that his only regret is that “Mr. Morris wasn’t Chairman 10 years ago.”