Donated Bench Program

On January 19, 2016, City Council directed staff to develop a policy for governing the donation of benches for public use on public property. The Donated Bench Policy, found on this page, was approved by Council on October 18, 2016, and went into effect January 1, 2017. It integrates and expands upon prior policies related to location, maintenance obligation, non-replacement, uniform plaque aesthetics, installation procedure, and alternative donation options.

Highlights of the new policy include the following:

• Existing benches will be grandfathered in under the new policy with an effective date of January 1, 2017. City staff will maintain the bench for a twenty-year term, which will expire on December 31, 2036, or to the point when the bench becomes unserviceable; whichever occurs first.
• The donor is required to pay all costs associated with the purchase and installation of a donated bench and an administrative fee, upon approval of their donated bench request application.
• A sunset date of 20 years was established, with no option for renewal. At the end of the term, the bench will be removed and replaced with another donated bench or a generic City bench. This will allow other interested parties to participate in the program.
• The current number (175) and location of existing benches (both donated and not donated) in the City will be used as the maximum number of benches eligible for the program.

Public Services and Engineering Department will maintain a list of persons who desire to donate a bench to the City. When a bench location becomes available the person at the chronological, top of the list, will be given first right of refusal to donate a bench for the location available. Should they elect not to donate a bench for that location, the next person on the list will be given the opportunity, and so on. Those persons electing not to donate, when asked, will maintain their place on the list until they accept a donation location or request that their name be removed from the list.