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Committee refers two park memorial requests to full council and asks Parks for installation timelines
Summary
The Special Committee on Memorials and Dedications voted May 13 to receive and refer two memorial requests—a tree for Dakota Sylvia at Hazelwood Park and a bench for Deborah G. Rower at Baldwinwood Park—to the full City Council and the Park Board, and asked Parks staff to provide a consolidated timeline of approved but uninstalled memorials.
The Special Committee on Memorials and Dedications of the City of New Bedford voted May 13 to receive and refer two memorial applications to the full City Council and the Park Board.
The committee heard a request from the Department of Parks and Recreation for a memorial tree to be placed “at Hazelwood Park on a hill looking down, if possible” in memory of Dakota Sylvia and a separate application for a memorial bench at Baldwinwood Park in memory of Deborah G. Rower. The clerk said both items had been referred to the committee previously (item 1 referred on Feb. 27, 2025; item 2 referred on March 27, 2025).
Councilor Moretz moved to receive and place the Dakota Sylvia application on file, refer it to the full City Council for approval and forward it to the Park Board; Councilor Choquette seconded and the motion passed with the ayes. For the Deborah G. Rower bench the committee similarly moved to receive and place on file and refer; that motion was moved by Councilor Morad and seconded by Councilor Choquette and also passed with the ayes.
Sade, an administrative assistant in the Parks and Recreation Department, told the committee the requested locations "do not foresee a problem" and said Parks staff coordinate placement if issues arise. She described the installation timeline as variable and said delays can be caused by Park Board meeting cancellations and other scheduling matters. "I can actually email you over, if you'd like, the memorials and dedication... I keep a timeline of everything," Sade said, offering to send a consolidated list of memorials that have been approved but not yet installed and expected timelines.
A family member who identified himself as Richard Rohwer spoke on behalf of Deborah Rower's family, describing Rower's long record of pro bono work and community service in Bristol County and asking the committee to grant the family's request for a public memorial. "Deb didn't seek recognition for her good work," Rohwer said, describing her decades of legal aid and community service.
Following discussion, the committee chair asked Parks staff to forward a consolidated list of approved-but-not-installed memorials and their current timelines to the committee chair for distribution to council members.
The committee placed several other agenda items on the table earlier in the meeting at the request of absent councilors (items 3, 5, 6 and 7), but those are separate from the two park memorial items referred to the full council.
The committee adjourned at 7:23 p.m.
