H. David Kaplan has waited since last spring to donate a bench in memory of a loved one to the West Hylebos Wetlands Park.

Until recently, the donation was held up by the City of Federal Way’s lack of formal standards by which to accept donations made in memorial. Donations in association with capital projects have been accepted in the past, but the city has less experience with accepting donations to serve as a memorial, Parks and Recreation director Cary Roe said.

“We really didn’t have a clear cut policy that dealt with that,” Roe said.

The Park Donation and Memorial Program was adopted last month. It makes way for donations of land, facilities, equipment, landscape material, cash and structures. The items may be placed in the city’s public parks or open spaces.

“It’s a way to remember your loved one,” Roe said.

Strict guidelines must be met before a donation is approved. The city wants to encourage donations, but avoid a hodge-podge of items that don’t fit a park’s setting, Roe said. The city also wants to ensure donated items can be properly maintained and will have a long life in their future destination.

The policy may seem slightly unneeded to some people, given there are plenty of Federal Way parks that already have donated items placed within their boundaries. Celebration Park, for instance, features more than 100 pavers inscribed with people’s names adorning the park’s plaza near the baseball fields. Dumas Bay Centre features similar pavers. A tree was planted at Sacajawea Park in memory of Mickey Corso, the city’s first parks director, after he died in the early 1990s.

Kaplan, a former parks and recreation commissioner in the city, said it was once easier to donate an item. Someone interested in donating simply met with city staff, discussed the donation and settled on the small details, he said. Kaplan has spoken in at least one Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, showing his frustration at the amount of time it has taken to give items to the city.

He wishes to place a bench at the entrance to the West Hylebos Wetlands Park near the historic cabins. He is also interested in placing an item at Steel Lake Park. He is currently researching how much it will cost to make these donations.

Roe said the majority of the city’s previously donated items were given during capital construction projects. Celebration Park’s pavers were part of a fundraising program undertaken by the six of the nine Parks and Recreation Commission members in 1998-1999, when the park was being built. They brought in $375,000 that helped complete the park.

The Park Donation and Memorial program will address donations to existing parks, Roe said. It may also be visited in the future when considering donations for capital projects, he said.

Requirements

Program requirements are as follows:

• Potential donors must meet with staff to discuss the donation before it will be accepted.

• Costs associated with the donation, such as installation and ongoing maintenance, will be paid by the donor.

• Donations to specific parks must meet a need in the park, ideally one identified in the park’s master plan.

• Donations must meet aesthetic standards in the park.

• Donated structures may include trees, picnic tables, metal benches, litter receptacles, planters, drinking fountains and trail marker signs. The Parks and Recreation director may make exceptions to the list.

• Donated artwork must be approved by the city’s arts commission.

• Plant materials must be purchased by the donor from a city-approved nursery.

• Destroyed or deteriorated donations may be removed by the city.

• Memorial plaques shall be a bronze marker and meet size and text requirements.