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Oxnard staff ask committee to recommend park bench and tree donation program to council
Summary
City staff asked the Public Works and Transportation Committee to recommend a Park Bench and Tree Donation Program to Oxnard City Council; program would let residents donate memorial benches and trees with donors covering costs (example prices: bench $2,000; tree $1,000).
Steve Howlett, assistant director of public works, presented a proposal that the Public Works and Transportation Committee recommend City Council approve a Park Bench and Tree Donation Program for the City of Oxnard. "Recommendation that the public works and transportation committee recommend that the city council approve the city of Oxnard park bench and Tree Donation Program," Howlett said during the presentation.
The program would establish a formal process for residents to donate memorial benches and trees to city parks. Howlett said the City received inquiries from residents seeking to purchase memorials — for example, a bench at Ollikoy Beach Park to honor an individual and a tree to honor victims of domestic violence — and that no formal donation program currently exists.
The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission formed an ad hoc committee in February 2025 to research comparable municipal programs, select items to include, set plaque-language standards and recommend donation terms. Howlett said the commission completed edits to the draft program at its Nov. 19, 2025 meeting and asked the City Council to consider the proposal.
Howlett told the committee there is no financial impact to the city for approving or administering the program because the parks division would manage it and donors would pay all costs. He provided current example pricing: a standard bench (including a plaque, taxes, shipping, installation and maintenance) at about $2,000, and a 24-inch box tree (including shipping, tax, installation and maintenance by staff) averaging about $1,000. He cautioned that these prices are based on current vendor rates and are subject to change.
The presentation closed with Howlett offering staff availability for questions. The transcript does not record a committee vote or formal action on the recommendation; any committee motion or council decision would be recorded separately in committee or council minutes.
