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Harrison considers future of memorial bench program

Harrison to keep maintaining bench plaques, council seems to feel new benches could be in the future
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Harrison council decided the village needed to keep maintaining its memorial benches, and may even be considering reintroducing new memorial benches in the future.

At the village council meeting on Monday (March 18), staff brought forward a recommendation to rescind the memorial recognition policy. Originally started in 2002, the policy allowed residents to pay for memorial benches and trees, which the village would then take over and maintain.

“I think the reason these policies came in to play was more as a way to fundraise for benches,” CAO Madeline McDonald explained during council. “It was a way that people could bequest something to the village in memory of their loved one.”

However, she added, this is no longer the way the village funds benches. Between 2002 and 2012, 60 benches had been installed as part of the memorial recognition policy around the beach lagoon, Spring Park, Peace Park and on McCoombs Drive. After that, benches were identified as recreational infrastructure and funded through the regular budget process.

RELATED: Memorial benches capped by council

Staff continue to maintain the benches and occasionally replace the memorial plaques installed on them. If the memorial recognition policy was rescinded, the benches would continue to be maintained and replaced, although the plaques would not. If the bench was replaced, the plaque would be returned to the original donor if possible.

“It is difficult to maintain memorial benches as families move away,” McDonald added.

Because of this, staff felt it was time for the policy to be removed. Council members did not agree.

Councillor Gerry Palmer said that if replacing the plaques were the problem, then the policy could be amended so the onus was on the families after 10 years to retrieve their plaques, rather than the village needing to return it to them.

“I like walking around looking at the plaques,” he said. “I actually have some memorized. I don’t know the people, but I find it interesting to see someone has cared enough about them to put one up.”

“I think it’s such a useful way for people to have a memorial,” he added. “That’s a way where people actually want to pay for something. I kind of like that.”

Councillor Michie Vidall agreed.

“I don’t want to see this program fall by the wayside,” she said,

Councillor Samantha Piper, in her role as acting mayor since Leo Facio was not present for meeting, said there could be other opportunities for memorials, such a paving stones by Memorial Hall. Councillor Michie Vidall also said a memorial wall could be a possibility, so people could still have plaques for their loved ones, even if it wasn’t on a bench.

But mostly, council members said they didn’t feel the memorial bench program had really reached capacity.

“I don’t think we can have enough benches when we’re down at the beach, especially during tourism season,” Vidall said.

RELATED: Harrison sees massive increase in winter tourists for 2018

Residents at the meeting also felt the memorial bench program had ended prematurely. Cathie Watters said she and her husband had moved to Harrison Hot Springs so their disabled grandson could enjoy vacations close to a hospital. When he died, they wanted to remember him with a bench near the places he loved to visit.

“In 2014, we came to ask if we could have a memorial bench and they told us the program had ended, which was so discouraging for us,” Watters said. “That really broke our hearts. So I would really like to see you bring that back up and do whatever you can do to allow us to honour (our grandson.)

“It’s a place we want to be, it’s a place we want to sit and be there,” she continued. “I think it’s really important.”

Her husband, David Watters, agreed.

“We walk that lagoon every day, and there’s certainly much more room to have benches there,” he told council during question period. “I don’t understand why the village would be hesitant on getting residents who will flip the coin to put them.”

“It’s a savings to the village, it’s providing an opportunity for tourism, it’s providing an opportunity for the public here in Harrison to get more involved in their community,” he added.

Fellow resident John Allen said that he felt there was more space for benches on the walkway to the Hot Springs, and expand into other trails into the south part of Harrison.

“There is room for 100 more benches in Harrison, and we could use them,” he said.

Council members ultimately voted to keep the memorial recognition policy, which means the benches and the plaques will continue to be maintained by staff. This does not mean residents will be able to purchase and install new memorial benches in the village, but it sounds like that could be on the table for future council meetings.

“Council will come back and discuss and engage with this,” Piper told the Watters’ during question period.



grace.kennedy@ahobserver.com

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