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Parks commission seeks policy to formalize bench and tree dedications; trustees ask staff for inventory before adopting
Summary
The Parks & Recreation Commission proposed a donations/dedication policy for benches and trees; Desan Davis, commission chair, said staff will inventory existing plaques and trustees asked staff to tie the policy’s start date to inventory completion before adoption.
The Dobbs Ferry Parks & Recreation Commission has submitted a dedications policy for trustees’ consideration, and the Board discussed the policy at its April 28 workshop, requesting an inventory of existing plaques before formally adopting the policy.
Desan Davis, chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, told trustees that plaques were added after the Waterfront Park renovation and that the commission needs staff to inventory existing plaques and donor contact information so the policy can treat existing dedications consistently. "I'm Desan Davis, and I'm currently the chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission," Davis told the trustees when asked to state her name.
Why it matters: The policy would regularize how the village accepts and schedules dedications of benches and trees across village parks. Staff advised the policy cannot be a solicitation for donations; it must respond to donor requests and include flexible cost estimates tied to current installation costs.
Trustees discussed operational details and timelines: staff said seasonal installation windows are likely (donations made in winter installed in summer), and Kendra in recreation will develop an inventory. Trustees debated whether the policy’s effective date should be the adoption date or a future date tied to inventory completion; the commission and staff proposed a one-year outreach window to contact current plaque holders and to grandfather affirmative responses into a new 10-year cycle.
What’s next: Trustees did not adopt the policy that night. They asked staff and the commission to complete the inventory, redline the policy to clarify the start date (either adoption tied to inventory completion or a specified future date), and return with a resolution when the materials are ready.
