Resident offers donated bench and plaque for Columbia View Park; volunteers and botanical-garden plans discussed

Nancy Reed told the commission she and others want to donate a bench to Columbia View Park and attach a plaque. "We wanna put a plaque on it that says welcome to the prayer bench, uniting Columbia County in prayer," Nancy Reed said during public comment, describing a black, powder-coated aluminum bench with predrilled mounting holes. She said Parks & Trails staff reviewed the bench concept and that, if concept approval is granted, the proposal would move to city council for final approval.

Commissioners asked operational questions — whether the bench is already approved by Parks and Trails, and what timeline would be needed to get the application to council. Staff guidance in the discussion confirmed the commission's role as a steward to review concepts and forward recommendations to council.

Separately, commissioners discussed botanical-gardens programming and volunteer recruitment. A commissioner announced a gardens workday scheduled April 18, 10 a.m.–noon at the trailhead parking near the elk statue and encouraged participation. Commissioners also debated formalizing a system where commissioners or local volunteers take responsibility for specific parks to ensure maintenance continuity; one commissioner suggested assigning commissioners to one or two parks so they become familiar with local needs.

Commissioners noted the difficulty of sustaining friends groups and the importance of streamlining the city’s application and support for volunteer groups. A recent work party at Nob Hill drew 14 volunteers who gave approximately 30 hours of service, demonstrating community interest but also highlighting retention challenges. Commissioners agreed to keep the bench concept and volunteer-group discussion on the next meeting agenda so staff can clarify application steps and liability/sign-in requirements.