Grace Kirchner Leader Correspondent
The Clintonville Park and Recreation Commission approved a policy Tuesday to regulate the donation of memorial benches and trees in city parks.
The policy, which next goes to the Common Council for approval, would require that all memorial bench requests and locations be approved by the parks and recreation director.
The donor will be required to pay for all items — bench, cement, installation and plaque — before an order is placed. Donors will have several patterns to choose from. The installation work will be done by the parks and recreation department.
No more than two plaques will be allowed on each bench. Plaques will consist of three lines of up to 40 letters per line. The parks and recreation director must approve the wording before the order is submitted.
Donors are responsible for the upkeep of the bench and plaque. The city will not be responsible for replacement of damaged, stolen or deteriorated benches, and it will reserve the right to remove deteriorated benches.
If a donor would like to replace an existing bench that is deteriorated or damaged, the same application process applies.
Donors will be notified if there are problems with their bench. If a bench is unusable, the donor will have 30 days to make a decision on whether to repair or replace it. When a decision is made, the donor will have 60 days to complete the repairs or replacement. If a decision isn’t made within 30 days or the donor does not want to repair or replace the bench, it will be removed by the city.
Under the proposed policy, only the park and recreation department will plant memorial trees, which must adhere to city size regulations and be approved by the city forester. There will be a list of trees available for donors to pick from, depending on availability from local nurseries.
The city will not be responsible for survival of memorial trees or replacement. The donor also must pay for the tree before it is ordered.
Justin McAuly, park and recreation director, reported that he has people waiting to make donations.
“I have a couple of people waiting to make a donation. One would like to make the donation by Mother’s Day,” he said.
Anyone with questions can contact McAuly at jmcauly@clintonvillewi.org or 715-250-0216.