SHELBURNE FALLS — That Shelburne Falls should be designated one of 15 Great Places by a national organization “comes as no surprise to anyone in this room,” state Rep. Stephen Kulik told a cheering audience of residents and business leaders. “But, isn’t it wonderful that people elsewhere in the country recognize it?”
This year, Shelburne Falls won the American Planning Association’s award, as one of five “Great Neighborhoods” in America. The town was nominated by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, and Deborah Lawlor, president-elect of the Association, came out to present the award to Buckland and Shelburne Selectboard Chairs Dena Willmore, Robert Manners and to John Baldwin, president of the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association.
In the afternoon, before the award presentation, Lawlor, a planning consultant from Mount Arlington, N.J., got a walking tour of the village.
“I’m here to celebrate a neighborhood that is celebrating community connections,” she said. “This award represents the gold standard of community involvement and community planning. Looking across the United States, and getting one out of 15 (awards) is amazing,” she said.
“Sharing this village has required the two towns to take advantage of sharing resources,” Lawlor continued. “There is a strong sense of place and a collaborative environment, and the ability to adapt to an ever-changing rural economy.”
Keynote speaker John Mullen, professor emeritus of urban planning at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, called the village development an example of “rational organic planning.”
“You live within it yourselves,” he said. “You represent what citizen power can do. You embraced your natural environment and made it part of your normal life.
“A river is a border, but here it’s the spine of the community,” he continued. “It unites and separates. Your dam, the (Glacial Potholes) which has mystical qualities — they’re all here, and you’re using them in your village. You’ve been adaptive — a derelict bridge becomes an honored national feature,” he said, referring to the Bridge of Flowers. An old trolley car sparks the creation of a museum.
“It didn’t come easy, but somehow, you are authentic,” he said. “That is the key.”
He talked about urban redevelopment efforts that were not true to the character of their towns. For instance, he denounced the witch shops and “fake witch museums” in Salem as “an abuse of history in that famous town.” He said famed architect Buckminster Fuller once proposed putting a glass dome over the entire Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which, thankfully never happened.
“You’ve enhanced your downtown neighborhood without changing it,” he said. “You have a walking village, which I absolutely love. Your murals came from the schools. You build on your legacy and heritage.”
Besides the APA award, Buckland, Shelburne and the Business Association/Shelburne Falls Partnership, each received citations from the state Senate and House of Representatives congratulating them for the village award.
The Village Partnership hosted the celebration party in the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center Thursday night.