Program Hall Naming for Dawn Shannon
At a glance
- What: a request from the family of the late Dawn Shannon (spelled Don in the auto-captions; the official minutes spell it Dawn), a longtime town recreation employee, and community members to name something in her honor. The request first came up in public comment on June 23, 2026.
- Where it stands: discussed Sept 8, 2026 and voted Sept 22, 2026 to name the program hall at 835 Main Street (the Raystone Post building) for her, with exterior signage. The name of the Raystone Post is not changing.
Options discussed (Sept 8)
- The recreation director's ideas: a memorial at Dean Park, a tree with a plaque, naming a conference room, naming the program hall, and naming the recreation scholarship program.
- Board members favored the program hall as the busiest activity space; a scholarship was seen as lovely but dependent on funding (later judged outside the property naming policy).
- A family member asked for a plaque on the outside of the building so it is seen. A dedication event was suggested.
Sources
- Select Board minutes, June 23, 2026 (posted in the Agenda Center under the July 28 listing): https://www.shrewsburyma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_07282026-5446
- Select Board minutes, August 11, 2026: https://www.shrewsburyma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08112026-5461
Discussion time
About 11 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-08 - Select Board | 11 |
Log
- 2026-09-22 - 2026-09-22 - Select Board: the board voted to name the program hall and add exterior signage; a community dedication is planned.
- 2026-09-08 - 2026-09-08 - Select Board: discussion only. Carlos A. Garcia and the other members favored the program hall; a family member spoke; vote held until staff bring a specific plan.
- 2026-08-11 - 2026-08-11 - Select Board: Mizikar reported an outpouring of interest from the community and family and asked for a public hearing under the board's property naming policy at the August 25 meeting, to be publicized on social media and in the newspaper. Five residents' emails supporting the request were on the correspondence list (some noted, two with the board encouraging more community members to write before August 25).
- 2026-06-23 - 2026-06-23 - Select Board: During public comment Wendy Quirion proposed naming the new recreation building for Dawn Shannon. Flynn said the topic would be added to a future agenda in connection with the building naming policy.
- 2026-08-25 - 2026-08-25 - Select Board: public hearing on the naming request; family and others spoke in favor, a veterans post had no objection; hearing closed with deliberation set for a future agenda (from auto-captions).
- 2026-07-28 - 2026-07-28 - Select Board: Garcia reported the family's application had been submitted; the board will decide what to dedicate and hold a public hearing, recommended for the second August meeting (from auto-captions).