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St. Clair aldermen discuss bench-and-tree memorial and donation options for Amanda Sykes
Summary
The board held a public discussion on possible memorials for the late Alderwoman Amanda Sykes — options included a bench with a tree, renaming playground or splash pad, and continuing her toy drive; the parks board and family reportedly favor a bench-and-tree and administrators will research costs and a donation policy.
City leaders in St. Clair discussed several options to honor the late Alderwoman Amanda Sykes during the Feb. 2 Board of Aldermen meeting but took no formal vote.
Administrator Wilson framed the discussion as informational and said the goal was to gather board direction so staff could return later with more details. He told the board he had consulted a family contact, Joe, who said Amanda likely would have preferred a modest, low-key tribute — Wilson said Joe and the parks board favored an engraved bench with a tree near Orchard Park as a durable, maintainable option.
Wilson estimated a bench, tree, engraving and installation could cost roughly $6,000–$8,000 and said the city could either absorb the expense from community development or parks funds or set up a donation mechanism and cover any shortfall. "As long as we're being transparent ... there's nothing wrong with the city taking those donations and the city being the one that handles all that process," Wilson said, referencing guidance from Attorney Boss.
Board members expressed sympathy for a living memorial such as a tree with a plaque and urged the city to adopt clear memorial policies for future requests. Several cautioned about committing substantial taxpayer money immediately and suggested city-managed donation lines, a time-limited collection box for the toy drive, or a hybrid approach in which the city pays part and community donations cover the rest.
Aldermen also noted Amanda’s history of attention to budgets and recommended the administration return with firm pricing, policy language for accepting and accounting for donations, and options that would allow the family and community to participate. One resident offered to connect pavilion donors and volunteers to city staff and to help plant trees.
Next steps: Administrator Wilson will research costs, propose a donation policy or line item, and return with recommendations later in the year so the board may make a formal decision.
