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Shelburne Dog Park Committee reopens park after town crews remove hazardous trees
Summary
The Shelburne Dog Park Committee voted unanimously Jan. 14 to reopen the town dog park after town crews removed trees tagged as hazards; the committee set trash service, a user-counting clicker and assignments for trash duties.
The Shelburne Dog Park Committee voted unanimously on Jan. 14 to reopen the town dog park after a safety inspection and tree removals by town maintenance, the committee recorded in its minutes.
The decision followed an on-site assessment by committee members and town staff. Lisa Williams and Meade Atkeson, joined by Dan, the town tree warden, and Kyle from town maintenance, walked the park and identified nine small trees and two to three larger trees that should be removed for the safety of park users and to protect the fence. Kyle completed removal of the smaller trees; the remaining two to three larger trees will be removed after the town issues a request for proposals and Dan coordinates the work, the minutes said. Committee members said the park undergrowth has regressed enough that the park is presently usable.
The committee set operational steps to reopen with trash service and basic monitoring. Betsy Cieplicki, committee member, will post an opening announcement by Jan. 24 on Front Porch Forum and the town website and will send a copy to Bob Owens for posting on Facebook. Betsy will also arrange to restart trash pickup. Meade Atkeson will put trash liners in the park receptacles and handle trash for February; Cheryl Gibson, who recorded the minutes, will perform trash duty in March. The committee agreed to place a clicker at the inside gate to count users and asked Betsy to check whether the town can supply a clicker.
The minutes record the committee approved reopening by unanimous vote. The dog park account balance was reported at $2,296.63 as of Jan. 13, 2026, with no revenues or expenses since the prior meeting.
Committee members also discussed possible alternate sites for a future dog park because the O’Brien project mentioned in earlier planning is moving slowly and likely years away. Alternatives noted were land near the town wastewater facility on Harbor Road, near the LaPlatte trails, and Bay Park; the committee tabled further discussion.
The meeting opened at 3:06 p.m. and adjourned at 3:58 p.m. The committee scheduled its next meeting for Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. at the town offices. A reasonable-accommodation statement was included in the minutes to ensure meeting accessibility.
