The Donation Bench Program allows individuals and organizations to commemorate an anniversary, celebrate a life or honor the memory of a loved one by donating a bench to be placed in one of Bellevue’s parks. Acceptance, placement and installation decisions are made by the Parks & Community Services Department and must be consistent with the park master plans and/or existing conditions in the designated park.
Due to the program’s popularity at Downtown and Meydenbauer Bay parks, we are not accepting applications to donate benches for those locations. However, if you are interested in another Bellevue park, please complete and submit the below application for our review, or contact Sheryl Humphrey at 425-452-4433 or shumphrey@bellevuewa.gov.
Cost
A donation of $5,305 will generally cover the cost of a bench, plaque, installation and maintenance fees for its useful life time. There may be additional costs depending on the location installation requirements. Any other request will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Placement
The applicant/donor can request a park site/location on the application however the Parks & Community Services Department will make the final placement decision.
Plaques
The plaque will be furnished by the city. The plaque will be:
- 1/4-inch thick etched bronze
- 8 inches wide by 2 inches high
- The plaque may not exceed four lines with approximately 24-26 characters per line.
- All plaque details, including text, must be in the form indicated on the application and must be approved by the Parks & Community Services Department.
Terms and Conditions
- The city is under no obligation to accept a gift or donation, even if the gift or donation otherwise meets the criteria set forth herein.
- All donations to the city become property of the City of Bellevue and the city reserves the right to remove or relocate any and all donated items at any time.
- Donations must be consistent with the master plans and with existing conditions and needs at the specific park.
- All donation requests must be submitted in writing.
- The plaque attached to the bench will be the only recognition of the donation.
- The Parks & Community Services Department is the final decision maker with regard to acceptance, placement and installation.
- The city will maintain the bench for its useful lifetime. The bench will be removed when it becomes unsafe to sit on or if it is vandalized in a manner that makes it visually unacceptable. The city will not be responsible for replacing any damaged or vandalized items. The city will notify the donor when the bench has to be removed and will give the original donor the opportunity to renew the gift and donate a replacement bench.
- The City of Bellevue procedures, policies and fees outlined in this guide are subject to periodic review and change.
Procedure
Complete and submit form below. All applications are accepted on a first come, first serve basis.