Mayor clarifies plan for pier benches and memorial plaques after public concern

Mayor Sherry Sullivan and city staff addressed public concerns on Wednesday about replacement of benches at the Fairhope pier, saying the city will surplus the old benches, return inscribed boards to donors on request and install more durable resin benches with a substantial plaque.

"Those benches at the pier were surplus at the last meeting, which means that we can now give those away," Sullivan said during the council meeting, seeking to correct social‑media accounts that described a different plan. She said many of the wooden benches and their concrete anchors were in poor condition and that the city plans to replace them with a resin material that is more durable.

Sullivan said the city will remove the wooden boards that carry inscriptions and make those available to the original donors. She added that the new benches will feature a single, more substantial plaque rather than the small routed wooden inscriptions that residents have come to associate with the pier. "It is not the plaque that has been circulated on social media," the mayor said; she described the replacement plaque as a more substantial, longer‑lasting piece that will include memorial inscriptions.

At public comment, resident Anne Brandt said many people feel a personal connection to the wooden benches and described them as "much more personal and kind of emotional in a way." Brandt asked whether wooden benches would still be available elsewhere in town; staff replied that there are currently no new locations available for additional wooden benches in the pier area and that placement alternatives would include other parks or recreation sites.

City staff said the city has started laying pavers and is planning a program to allow inscribed bricks at the pier; the mayor said that program’s details will be released after staff finalizes placement and samples.

Officials urged residents to contact city staff for factual information rather than relying on social media posts. The council did not take formal action on the pier benches during the meeting; staff said replacements and the plaque design are being finalized and will be implemented through Public Works.