On November 9, 2016, the City Commission passed Resolution No. 2016-29649 (Exhibit A) supporting the creation of the Adopt-A-Bench Program (the “Program”), like the Central Park Conservancy’s Adopt-A-Bench Program as referenced in a 2016 New York Times article (Exhibit B), which provides the public an opportunity to commemorate park benches in honor of loved ones at an initial adoption fee of $10,000.
On June 6, 2018, the City's Brick Paver Program was created via Resolution No. 2018-30380, to provide the public an opportunity to purchase commemorative brick pavers on the beachwalk corridor, between 53rd and 64th Streets, at a cost of $1,000 per paver, with the program available to individuals only (with no corporate sponsorship option).
At the January 17, 2018 Commission meeting, the City Commission approved applications for two commemorative benches sponsored by separate individuals at $10,000 each. At the same meeting, under a separate agenda item, the City Commission approved Resolution No. 2018-30143 to increase the fees associated with bench adoption from $10,000 to $20,000 (Exhibit C).
Following the 2018 fee increase there were several inquiries, however, all interested parties who contacted the Department declined to participate, noting the cost as the deterrent. At that time, the Parks and Recreation Department reevaluated the program and determined a tiered cost structure that would enable a wider interest in the program.
At the September 11, 2019 City Commission meeting, the Mayor and City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2019-30947 (Exhibit D), establishing a tiered fee structure for “adopting” City benches, eliminating the element of commemorative bench plaques from the Program, and delegating to the Parks and Recreation Department with the authority to administratively approve future applications for the Program to streamline the process, and eliminating the Brick Paver Program in its entirety.
Since the removal of the plaque element from the Adopt-A-Bench program, all interested parties to date have either declined to participate or ceased communication after learning that the commemorative plaque element was removed from the program, including one of the Program’s only two participants, who adopted a bench at the original price point of $10,000.
At the December 8, 2021 City Commission meeting, a discussion regarding the "Adopt-A-Bench" Program and the 2019 repeal of the Brick Paver Program was referred to the Neighborhoods and Quality of Life Committee.
At the March 7, 2022 Public Safety and Neighborhoods Quality of Life Committee (the “PSNQLC” or the “Committee”) meeting, the Committee discussed and recommended for the City Commission to: (1) reinstate the commemorative bench plaque element to the Program; (2) repeal the tiered fee structure and establish a fixed donation fee of $10,000 to adopt any existing or new benches in City parks; and (4) provide that all net proceeds from the Program be applied to Parks and Recreation programming, and beautification and improvement projects.
Based on community feedback that the Parks and Recreation Department has continually received, this Program could be successful if the bench plaque element was re-instated as a component to the Program.
Further, the Committee recommended that the City Commission continue to delegate to the Parks and Recreation Department the authority to administer and approve any Adopt-A-Bench Program applications in order to streamline the process.