The city of Newport received an Award of Excellence from the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association at the Thursday, Aug. 7 city council meeting. The award was for the city’s Busy Beaver Playground Reconstruction Project, made possible in part with a donation from Marathon Petroleum. Shown above are Council Member Marvin Taylor, Council Member Tom Ingemann, Minnesota Park and Recreation Association (MPRA) representative J. J. Williams, Newport Public Works Superintendent Matt Yokiel, Mayor Laurie Elliott, Council Member Josh Schmidt, Council Member Bill Sumner, and Newport City Administrator Joe Hatch. “It’s really gratifying to know how hard our staff is working on behalf of the community, and to see that other people are recognizing that and taking the time to come present this award means a lot,” Mayor Laurie Elliot said as MPRA representative Williams presented the Award to the city.