Following Superintendent Mark Shippee’s retirement after 33 years of service, Jeff Johnston has settled in as the Shelburne Highway Department’s new leader.

Shelburne Selectboard member Andrew Baker shared during Monday’s board meeting that Johnston, who took over as highway superintendent on July 15, has gotten to work on road projects on Cooper Lane, Brook Road, Wilson Graves Road and Fiske Mill Road.

“He’s making great progress as our new superintendent,” Baker said of Johnston. “He’s doing a lot.”

Before coming to Shelburne, Johnston worked roughly nine years at the Heath Highway Department, acting as the superintendent for five years, from April 2019 to July 2024. Prior to his work as superintendent, Johnston worked as a labor operator and maintenance foreman in Heath, operating and maintaining equipment.

“It’s different than it is in Heath, so I’m looking forward to the challenges that present themselves as far as me learning,” Johnston said, reflecting on his early weeks on the job.

Johnston has big shoes to fill, with Shelburne Town Clerk Joseph Judd saying that his predecessor, Shippee, was a dedicated worker who was always willing to help.

“We’ve been fortunate in Shelburne,” Judd said. “We’ve made a lot of good hires over the years … but Mark Shippee was one of our best. He was a dedicated Shelburne employee for many, many years.”

Meanwhile, in Heath, town officials continue to search for a replacement for Johnston. Selectboard members feel they may need to reimagine the future of that role and the Highway Department.

“I think it will be worthwhile to look at the position, what it is we need, [and] what we’re most in need of in the coming months and the rest of the fiscal year,” Heath Selectboard Chair Robyn Provost-Carlson said during a Tuesday meeting.

Although the Heath Selectboard had offered the position to an applicant, that candidate ultimately declined to accept the job, leading board members to think about next steps.

The Selectboard discussed a number of possibilities, including readvertising the position, reconfiguring staffing within the department to bring on a clerk who would help with administrative tasks instead of a superintendent, and collaborating with highway departments and superintendents in neighboring towns.

“They’re getting the work done that they need to get done,” Provost-Carlson said of the Heath Highway Department’s employees. “The grading is close to being done. There’s little stuff that doesn’t get done quick and they need to follow up with, but I think stuff is getting done.”

Heath Selectboard member and Highway Department liaison Will Emmet said foreman Kyle Jarvis has been doing well with responding to messages the department receives and the other various tasks he has taken on. Steven Thane is working part-time as interim superintendent.

The Selectboard plans to speak with Thane and continue conceptualizing the future of the department.

Intern Sam Ferland contributed reporting.