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Council approves updated donation fees for CARE bench program, adds golf-course option
Summary
The council approved an updated voluntary donation program (CARE) to cover memorial benches and other donated amenities, set fees to better reflect maintenance costs, and directed staff to return with pricing for additional game-table options.
The San Clemente City Council on Aug. 5 approved revisions to the CARE (Celebrate, Acknowledge, Remember, Enhance) donation program, adjusting fees for donated benches and expanding the program to include the municipal golf course.
Beaches, Parks and Recreation Director Samantha Wiley told the council that rising materials and maintenance costs prompted the update. Staff recommended increasing the donation fee for the concrete park bench commonly used along the beach trail to $7,000 to cover purchase, installation and an estimated 10–15 year maintenance lifecycle; staff said a manufacturer's 3% price increase was expected in August. The council also approved adding a golf-course bench option; the golf committee recommended a different wrought-iron/slatted bench style commonly seen on courses.
The council unanimously approved the staff recommendations (items 1 and 2 in the staff report) and asked staff to return with pricing for optional game/table components (for example, chess or game tables) and to consider whether golf-course donors should have the same concrete bench option at a different fee. Public commenters supported expanding donor options and suggested adding standardized specifications and additional amenity types.
Staff said donated benches would be maintained for a 10–15 year expected lifespan and that staff would contact donors when a bench reached end-of-life to offer replacement options. The council directed staff to return with a fee table and any proposed program additions for final approval.
