Memorial/Heritage Program - Tree and Bench donation program in Columbia Parks and Recreation, City of Columbia, MO

Parks & Recreation
Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs

Memorial/Heritage Program - Tree and Bench Donations

Contact Information:

Parks Management Center
1507 Bus. Loop 70W
Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: 573-874-7201

Sponsored by Columbia Parks and Recreation, the Memorial/Heritage Tree and Bench Program allows groups and individuals to donate trees or benches to commemorate special events or as memorials to loved ones to be placed on City-owned park land. Trees and benches purchased through the program are planted and/or placed in city parks, trails, golf courses, and playgrounds. Exact placement is at the discretion of the Parks and Recreation Department. Payment is due at the time order is placed. These donations are tax deductible. (For more information on charitable contributions see IRS Publication #526.)

In addition to this program, you can remember a friend or family member through a memorial gift to the Columbia Trust. Find out more...

Trees

Cost of the tree program is $250 per tree. This includes the tree, plaque and continued maintenance of the tree (fertilizer, pruning, mulching, etc.). After the tree is planted, the contact person will receive a certificate and map of the planting location for each tree. Trees ordered from April 1 through October 15 will be planted in the late fall. Trees ordered October 16 through March 31 will be planted in the spring.

Payment is due at the time the order is placed. Printable order form.

(Form is a PDF file - can fill in blanks on line and print. Only users with Adobe
Acrobat will be able to "save.")

Photo of Memorial Tree at Stephens Lake Park

Newly Planted Memorial Tree


Memorial Tree Plaque	*Heritage Tree Plaque*

Types of Trees

White Oak London Planetree

Swamp White Oak Bald Cypress

Sawtooth Oak Norway Spruce

Bur Oak Yellowwood

Red Maple Redbud

Sugar Maple Tulip Tree

Sweet Gum

Types of Trees
White Oak	London Planetree
Swamp White Oak	Bald Cypress
Sawtooth Oak	Norway Spruce
Bur Oak	Yellowwood
Red Maple	Redbud
Sugar Maple	Tulip Tree
Sweet Gum

For more information, please contact the Parks and Recreation Forestry office at:

Forestry Division
Parks Management Center
1507 Bus. Loop 70W
Columbia, MO 65202

Phone: (573) 874-7520

E-mail: Dave Dittmer, Forester
dldittme@GoColumbiaMo.com

Benches

The cost of a bench and plaque is $500 each. Payment is due at the time the order is placed. Benches are made of environmentally-friendly recycled plastic lumber and are installed at approved sites in the order requests are received. Installation depends on the time of year received and the number of preceding orders. The department usually installs the benches in the fall and late winter so that the benches are available during the spring and summer season. Once the bench is installed, the contact person will receive a letter notifying them that the bench has been placed and a map showing the location of the bench. Please note that there are no longer bench locations available on the MKT Trail, Cosmo Park, Grindstone Nature Area, or Forum Nature Area. The Parks and Recreation Department may limit other locations as needed.

A program to replace the old wooden style Memorial/Heritage benches approaching 10+ years old with the new recycled plastic lumber benches will begin in 2009. Find out more.

"Voices from the Past" is a cell phone guided tour of the stories behind the Memorial Benches along the MKT Trail. Click here for more information about this tour.

For more information on the Memorial/Heritage Bench Program, contact the Parks and Recreation Park Development office at:

Park Development Division
Parks Management Center
1507 Bus. Loop 70W
Columbia, MO 65202

Phone: (573) 874-7205

E-mail: Paul Scolaro
pss@GoColumbiaMo.com

Printable PDF order form .
In Acrobat Reader, you can type in the blanks on the form and print.
Only users with Adobe Acrobat will be able to save the form
after typing in the blanks.

Where does the City purchase the recycled lumber benches and plaques? The recycled-lumber benches are the Contour model (#6CB4RPIGCR) with cedar colored recycled plastic lumber purchased from Kay Park Rec Corp, Highway 218 South, Janesville, IA 50647, 1-800-553-2476. The plaques are 10" x 2" zinc with raised lettering. The plaques can be ordered from these Columbia vendors - Fast Signs (573-886-7446) or Signs Now (573-815-9293).