This story by Liberty Darr was published by the Shelburne News on Sept. 21.

After a contentious few months regarding a potential revamp to the town’s Parade Ground, the Shelburne Selectboard has ditched the idea, saying the process has revealed a level of dysfunction with the town’s civic engagement.

The unofficial plan proposed to erect a new 4-foot elliptical-shaped sidewalk through the grounds along with a 28-foot by 14-foot pavilion that would sit toward Falls Road. Other changes included the addition of benches, Adirondack chairs and a 3-foot-high fence consisting of granite posts and a black metal chain.

The $80,000 project, which was first introduced in June, has had residents casting a wary eye at the selectboard with many claiming that the five-member board had been conspiring to push the project through regardless of widespread push-back.

“Is nothing sacred anymore from the sprawl and the desire by individuals new to the town to use what little open space that remains in Shelburne as originally envisioned?” questioned resident Bud Ockert in June. “Frequently there is a homeless person who sleeps on the ground at the base of the large spruce trees. The construction of a pavilion may well add to this problem. If such should occur, who will be responsible for policing the area?”

Other residents echoed similar sentiments in the months that followed.

At last week’s meeting, board member Andrew Everett assured the public that there is no hidden agenda, emphasizing that it is actually illegal for them to get together without warning a public meeting.

“The fact that people thought we were secretly coordinating something behind the scenes was kind of a bummer and just misinformation,” he said.

In reality, the project had not moved past the conceptual phase and would have needed to go to the Shelburne Development Review Board before any structures could be built.

Selectboard chair Mike Ashooh said he has been the recipient of a slew of insults and berating comments in the last four months. Since he posted a joke on social media he said was meant as nothing more than a tongue-in-cheek comment to bring a little humor to the situation, some residents have asked how they could remove him from the board.

“Who’s going to do this job when you get attacked for basically proposing something that is in our town plan,” he said. “The town plan calls for enhancements to the Parade Ground. The spirit of the improvements was to implement the town plan and it was cost-effective. The reaction to it by a small group of people was really unwelcome and unnecessary and a poor sign of civic engagement.”

The issues may have started as differing opinions about what to do with the town’s Parade Ground, but the problems quickly grew into more about how to engage in these types of conversations in town.

“It’s just a way of engaging in the public that is not at all helpful,” said Ashooh, noting that the process is important, but preserving the integrity of the community is also just as paramount. “You see it all around the country and for some reason, you would think it wouldn’t happen here in Shelburne. But it does, and it’s disappointing.”

“Our community government won’t function if we can’t be civil, decent, respectful and have conversations that are meaningful and important,” he said.