Donate to Parks & Recreation

We are pleased to provide the opportunity to make a donation to the City of Boulder park system in memory of a loved one. The memorial donation policy will help to answer questions you have about how to proceed with your memorial idea.

The policy was developed to give Parks and Recreation Department staff an established method to accept memorials within our parks. It is our hope that the policy will allow us to provide you with a coordinated and consistent approach for processing your memorial requests.  The policy is designed to assist in answering many of the basic questions you may have as you begin to think about the best way to memorialize your loved one.

The outline of the various categories in which we will accept memorials and the current price list will get you started on deciding the type of memorial that best meets your needs. Once you review the policy and have formulated your idea, please contact us. (See information below) At that point, we can begin to discuss how your ideas fit with our current park planning processes.

If you are looking for a memorial donation opportunity that does not fall within the categories outlined in this policy, you may wish to consider donations to PLAY Boulder. The foundation supports the advancement of the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Boulder and may offer the flexibility to explore other creative memorial ideas.

Thank you for considering the Parks and Recreation Department for your memorial donation. We look forward to working with you.

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Purpose

The Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Boulder provides the opportunity for members of our community to donate memorials to loved ones within our park system. In order to allow for a coordinated and consistent program for soliciting and recognizing contributions, we have established the the following guidelines. The guidelines were developed based on research on the best practices of similar agencies nationwide, the needs and resource capabilities of the Parks and Recreation Department and the desire of citizens to recognize loved ones through monetary contributions providing for specific lasting memorials.

Scope

The Parks and Recreation Department memorial donation guidelines allow for several types of memorial opportunities. We encourage citizens to contact the department to discuss ideas for locations of memorials, however final memorial locations will be dependent on the needs of the department and planning processes already underway.
Donations to the City of Boulder may be tax deductible. (Please see your tax advisor.)

Memorials will be accepted in the following categories:

• Memorial Tree Donations
  Living memorial donations will be accepted in the form of tree plantings in city parks.
• Memorial Bench and Other Park Amenity Donations
  Memorial bench donations will be considered within the city park system.
• General Memorial Donations
  Donations for general park and recreation purposes are accepted and encouraged.
• Memorial Statues, Fountains, Plazas, Gardens, etc.
  Donations of statues, fountains, plazas, gardens, etc. may be accepted under specific circumstances. The Department will determine placement of all such memorials.
• Park Naming Opportunities
  Naming of a park as a memorial may be submitted under the Parks and Recreation Department's Park Naming Policies.

Memorial Donation Fee Schedule

The following is the fee schedule for memorial donations to the Parks and Recreation Department.

Memorial Tree Donations
Tree purchased from Forestry's annual spring planting program $125
Administrative fee (covers planting and maintenance) $75
Tree purchased from other local nursery cost charged by nursery for purchase and delivery to Forestry compound
Administrative fee (covers planting and maintenance) $75
Tree Replacement/Future Plantings Fund $125 minimum donation

Please contact the department for other donation considerations.

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Memorial Tree Donations

The Parks and Recreation Forestry Section will accept trees donated by the public for gifts and memorials to be planted in appropriate locations in the city parks for a fee. The following guidelines will apply:

• A limit of 25 trees will be planted each year.
• Tree species must be approved by the Forestry Section of the Parks and RecreationDepartment.
• Tree caliper must be at least 2" for deciduous trees.
• Tree height must be at least 5' for evergreens.
• Due to concerns over maintenance and vandalism, plaques will not be included as part of the memorial tree donation program.
• In instances where trees do not survive, tree replacements will be provided if forestry staff planted the tree. Replacement trees may or may not be of the same variety as that of the original donation.
• The forestry section will consider special park location requests with the final location to be determined by the department.
• Requests may be made at any time of the year and will be considered for the following spring or fall planting.

Spring Planting
Trees donated in the spring will be through the annual spring planting program (April through May). Please see the memorial policy fee schedule for current tree prices and administrative fees.

Fall Planting
Trees will be purchased from a local tree nursery as long as they meet size qualifications and quality as determined by the city forester. Donors must pay the nursery for the cost of the tree and delivery cost to the forestry compound. A planting and maintenance fee of $75 will be charged by the city.

Tree Replacement/Future Plantings Program
If donors wish to remember a loved one by replacing a tree or shrub that did not survive in the park system or by assisting the department with future plantings at locations determined by the forestry section, they are encouraged to make a donation to the tree replacement/future plantings program through the Parks and Recreation Department. These donations will be used, on an as needed basis, to replace and plant trees enhancing the beauty of our park system and our city. A minimum donation amount of $125 will be accepted for this purpose.

Tree Donation Process
Please submit a letter to:
City Forester
5200 E Pearl St.
Boulder CO 80301

Indicate whether you would like to purchase your tree from the department nursery or an outside source. Staff will respond to your letter with information about available donation opportunities in your desired location or alternate locations.

Donations to the memorial tree program and the tree replacement/future plantings program will be recognized with a letter of appreciation from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Staff will inform the donor of the scheduled planting time and location in order to offer an opportunity for the donor to be present during the planting. Families and friends are welcome to hold a dedication ceremony for the person being memorialized, however due to staff workload, it will not be possible for staff to assist in planning or conducting the ceremony.

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Memorial Bench and Other Park Amenity Donations

Memorial bench program temporarily suspended

The Department is currently not accepting new requests for memorial benches while the program's guidelines are under review. Our goal is to revise this important community acknowledgement program to better reflect the department's Master Plan goals. We hope to have the revised program guidelines in place later this year. In the meantime, please consider a donation to our Memorial Tree program.

THANK YOU

General Memorial Donations

General memorial donations gifted to the Parks and Recreation department will be acknowledged by a letter from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Funds generated by these donations will be used to best meet current needs of the department as determined by the Director.  From time to time, the department may be accepting donations for a specific project to benefit the department. A list of opportunities for project-specific donations will be maintained and provided to those who express interest.

Memorial Statues, Fountains, Plazas, Gardens etc.
Memorial Donations which are large in scale are generally not encouraged. To the extent that projects of this nature are consistent with park planning processes they may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Donors may contact the department to discuss their idea.

Park Naming Opportunities exist for naming of park sites within the park system as detailed in the department's Park Naming Policy. Copies of this policy are available by contacting the department.

Parks and Recreation Foundation
In addition to the above memorial donation opportunities, donations may be made to the Boulder Parks and Recreation Foundation. The purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Boulder. Foundation contact name(s) and phone number(s) will be provided to interested parties.

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Last Updated on Friday, 22 January 2010 15:22