Trail city council has agreed to move forward with a plan to notify families who purchased memorial benches before 2018 that their sponsorships are subject to terms under the city’s maintenance policy established seven years ago.
During Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, council backed a recommendation from Ben Gresley-Jones, the city’s manager of projects and engineering, to begin contacting donors who purchased benches prior to the policy’s implementation, since many may not be up to date on the current guidelines or how these affect their original sponsorships.
The memorial bench program began in 2002, allowing families to commemorate loved ones with bench installations in public spaces.
However, until the introduction of the respective policy in 2018, no formal terms governed maintenance or bench lifespan.
Under the current policy, each sponsorship includes a 15-year maintenance period, after which donors can choose to renew for another 10 years.
If no renewal is made, the city may remove the plaque, return it (if possible), and repurpose the bench for resale.
Gresley-Jones acknowledged the emotional sensitivity of the issue, pointing out that many of the 143 benches installed before 2018 may no longer have reachable family contacts.
He told council the goal was to handle the outreach with care and avoid upsetting donors by surprising them with an unexpected letter.
“We don’t want to blindside anyone,” he said, emphasizing the importance of respectful, transparent communication as staff begin notifying families.
Council’s approval clears the way for staff to send out letters to donors whose benches have surpassed the 15-year maintenance period..
These donors will be offered an 18-month grace period to decide whether to renew their sponsorships in accordance with the policy.
According to Gresley-Jones’ report, Trail currently has 178 memorialized benches and picnic tables, with 143 of them installed before the 2018 policy came into effect.
By the end of 2025, 71 of those benches will have exceeded the 15-year maintenance period, with another 30 nearing that threshold within the next three years.
Maintaining existing benches is significantly more cost-effective than installing new ones, making refurbishment a more sustainable approach.
Donors who choose to renew their sponsorships can extend the life of a bench by up to 10 additional years. In some cases, if the bench remains in good condition, a second renewal may be possible.
The outreach effort itself won’t be simple, Gresley Jones pointed out.
Contacting all affected donor families will require considerable staff time, especially since many donors may have moved or passed away.
Gresley-Jones estimates the coordination will involve multiple departments and could take two to four years to bring the program into full compliance with the policy.
Council’s support allows staff to begin this process, recognizing that these benches are more than infrastructure - they are personal tributes woven into the city’s public spaces.
Gresley-Jones stressed that this move is not about removing memories, but about preserving the integrity of the program and ensuring it remains sustainable for future generations.
