Three ways to memorialize a loved one in Burlington
Published August 16, 2021 at 5:57 pm
A Burlington resident recently submitted a question to the mayor’s office regarding memorializing loved ones in the City.
The question was posted to Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward’s “Monday Mailbag,” an initiative that was launched to answer questions from the public.
“I would like to memorialize a loved one in Burlington. Does the City offer any opportunities to do so?” read the question.
Here’s what Meed Ward had to say.
“Losing a loved one is never easy. The City of Burlington has several ways to help residents and the community memorialize someone who has passed away,” she said.
The mayor went on to suggest the city’s Parks Amenities Recognition and Celebration program.
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“This is most often referred to as the Memorial Bench Program — however, it is not only for benches, as the amenity can be another type of park furnishing (such as a bike rack, picnic table or sun shelter). The memorialized amenity can be located in a City park, along a bikeway or sidewalk, or an open space maintained by the City.”
According to the mayor, most requests are for a bench. While the cost can range depending on the model that is determined by the bench standards in the park location, the cost for the most commonly-used bench model has been $5,394 in 2021.
Additionally, the mayor suggested the Rotary Tree Park/Memorial Forest program, run by the Rotary Club of Burlington Central. This program includes the donation of a memorial tree in the Rotary Tree Park/Memorial Forest.
The current location to donate memorial trees is Maple Park. The minimum donation for a new tree is $700 and $1,000 for a mature tree.
This program also does a memorial bench that would be located in Maple Park as well.
Meed Ward’s third suggestion for memorializing a loved one in Burlington was to adopt a flower bed.
“The City of Burlington’s Roads, Parks and Forestry Department runs a program called Adopt A Bed,” said the mayor.
“It’s an annual program where a sponsor pays an annual fee for a flower bed in a traffic island. A sign is placed in the flower bed and is visible to drive-by cars.”
According to the mayor, the sponsorship can be renewed from year to year. The annual cost can range from approximately $200-$1,600, depending on the size of the flower and upkeep.
Photo: City of Burlington
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