The City of Sarnia is considering an annual cap on commemorative bench purchases after a surge in demand for the mementos in recent years.
“We don’t want to have an overload in the parks and the waterfront of just benches,” recreation superintendent Shelley Kern said.
Public input on a 10-bench-per-year cap, and other changes to the program that started with three benches in 2018, opened earlier this month and continues until March 30 at speakupsarnia.cashe said.
The number of plaque-emblazoned benches purchased for parks and the Howard Watson Nature Trail to commemorate loved ones through the city program has effectively doubled every year, peaking at 30 in 2021, Kern said.
There were 16 apps already in the first few weeks of 2022, she told council in a report earlier this month.
“We’re just finalizing those now” for installation after May 1, Kern said.
Cement pads are installed with the benches to make them last longer and look better, she added.
A similar memorial tree-planting program had five applications in 2021, up from zero in 2018, Kern’s report says.
Three applications had been received to date in 2022, it says.
No cap is proposed for the number of trees people can purchase, Kern said.
“The more trees the better,” she said.
Capping the bench program would make it sustainable, she added while noting other park furniture, like Adirondack chairs, could be available for people to purchase for memorials in the future.
“Those are just some general ideas at this point,” she said.
The proposed new rules would also mean purchased memorial bench “sponsorship periods” would last for 10 years, instead of 15, similar to what other municipalities offer, Kern said.
At that point, people could either renew for 60 per cent of the cost or let the “sponsorship” go to someone else, Kern’s report says.
Keeping a renewal window shorter also helps staff better maintain the assets in good condition, she said.
The fee for metal park benches is $2,060, and $1,555 for composite trail benches. The difference is the composite benches look more natural, Kern said.
“It’s just more the look based on the environment it was going in.”
The fees likely don’t cover costs amid inflation, she said.
“That’s something we’ll address in the 2023 fees for service,” she said.
The $305 commemorative trees don’t include a plaque and the “sponsorship period” doesn’t expire, her report says.
They’re also replanted if they fail to establish within two years, it says.
Locations for benches would also be set by the city under the new rules, she said, noting application intakes would start every year on Jan. 1.
Details about public input are expected back to council April 11.
“We’re excited to make these updated changes because it is a growing program and it’s a great way to … encourage the benches, but also hopefully increase the tree program as well,” Kern said.
She’s not sure why the bench program has proven so popular, she said, but suspects it has something to do with normal funeral and visitation proceedings being disrupted at points amid the COVID-19 pandemic.