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Commission reviews bench‑donation options, proposes online form; city to shoulder maintenance costs
Summary
Staff showed bench locations at Lake Boren Park, presented cost estimates for three bench types and proposed an online donation form. Commissioners favored a higher‑quality bench; staff said the city would be responsible for future maintenance and that bench donations would start with Lake Boren then expand to other parks.
Commissioners reviewed a staff proposal for a bench‑donation program focused initially on Lake Boren Park and discussed materials, pricing and placement.
Amy Parks, events and recreation coordinator, presented an inventory of existing benches and a map of proposed locations at Lake Boren. She outlined a proposed online donor form that would let donors choose a numbered location from an illustrated map, indicate whether they want a plaque, and submit payment electronically; paper forms would remain an option.
Parks staff presented three representative bench options and rough cost estimates for budgeting: a lower‑cost durable metal style, a recycled‑plastic bench that mimics wood, and a premium wood‑and‑steel bench. Staff said estimates presented ranged from about the low thousands up to roughly $3,400 for the highest‑end option, and compared those to Bellevue’s program (about $4,750 per bench) to give a local benchmark. Commissioners expressed preference for a single, city‑selected standard bench and for a higher‑quality design without a rounded back so plaques are easier to mount.
On maintenance, Parks staff said the city would assume responsibility for future repairs and upkeep and that staff had factored estimated labor into future maintenance costs. “That’ll be city responsibility and that’s part of what we tried to bake into the future labor costs,” Amy said.
Commissioners also discussed related park items during the same time block: the proposed dog‑park location near the boardwalk (behind the tennis courts but slightly east, in a wooded area), bench placement priorities around common walking loops, and donor interest in other amenities such as picnic tables or trees. Commissioners raised questions about how to set donor price points and whether prices should reflect expected future maintenance and inflation; several commissioners favored a higher price point to avoid an immediate oversubscription of donation locations.
Staff said the program would begin at Lake Boren Park and later expand to other parks, and that more precise siting and final cost estimates would be determined during the design phase.
No formal vote was taken; staff will revise the bench program proposal and return with a more detailed plan and communication strategy.
