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Operations centre renamed to honour town's longtime former CAO

Robert N. Shelton retired Nov. 30 after serving the Town of Newmarket for 41 years
NewmarketToday Staff

NEWS RELEASE
TOWN OF NEWMARKET
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The Town of Newmarket is proud to announce the renaming of the Newmarket Operations Centre as the Robert N. Shelton Operations Centre in honour of former Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Robert N. Shelton, who retired on Nov. 30, 2018 after serving the Town for 41 years.

Mr. Shelton began his career with the Town of Newmarket in 1977 when he was hired as the Assistant to the Town Engineer. Mr. Shelton then went on to fulfill roles such as Deputy Town Engineer (1981-1995), Director of Operations (1996-1999), Acting Director of Planning & Director of Operations (1998-1999), Director of Public Works and Environmental Services (1999-2002) and Chief Administrative Officer (2002-2018).
 
Mr. Shelton was instrumental in many of the key decisions that have led to much of Newmarket’s successes and to the community continuously being recognized as one of the best places to live in Canada. Some of the highlights of Mr. Shelton’s career with the Town of Newmarket, include:

  • The acquisition of the Mulock Farm property to create a ‘Central Park’ inspired green space
  • The revitalization of the downtown area and the creation of Riverwalk Commons, which have both greatly contributed to Newmarket receiving the People’s Choice Award for best Main Street across the country (2016)
  • The construction of the award-winning and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certified consolidated Operations Centre
  • The opening of the Town of Newmarket Magna Centre to meet the present and future recreational needs of the community
  • The development of Canada’s first LEED Platinum certified subdivision, one of the most environmentally friendly neighbourhoods in the country
  • The addition of significant public art works, including the Tom Taylor Trail markers and the bronzed plaques on the Keith Bridge
  • Leading through a culture of collaboration, both internally and externally, including the creation of the N6 municipalities group/committee (Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, Newmarket, King and Whitchurch-Stouffville) that has realized many efficiencies and collectively saved the municipalities millions of dollars
  • Guiding and supporting staff in the creation of many plans and strategies that are helping to guide Newmarket into the future, including: the Town’s first strategic plan (vision/mission), the creation of the Town’s core values (Courage and Creativity, Accountability and Accessibility, Respect, Integrity and Excellence), the Official Plan and Secondary Plan, the Cultural Master Plan and the Economic Development Strategy
The Town of Newmarket thanks Mr. Shelton for his 41 years of dedicated public service to the community and wishes him all the best in the next chapter of his life.
 
About the Robert N. Shelton Operations Centre

The Robert N. Shelton Operations Centre is a 65,000-square-foot environmentally friendly building at 1275 Maple Hill Court. The Operations Centre first opened in 2010 and was recognized for its cutting-edge design and environmentalism. This innovative facility is one of the first municipal Operation Centres in Canada to be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Standards.

Some of the environmental features include:
  • A green roof
  • Geothermal heating and cooling
  • Solar hot water heating
  • Stormwater collection for irrigation
  • Ground-mounted solar panel

The Operations Centre was the recipient of the 2009 Award of Excellence from the Canadian Architect Magazine and the 2012 Governor General's Medal for outstanding design in Canada Architecture. 

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