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Draper Journal

Memorial benches approved by city council

Mar 28, 2022 10:16PM ● By Mimi Darley Dutton

Rosie Skinner was accompanied by her son, Boston, and her husband Josh to the March city council meeting where memorial benches were approved, something Skinner said has been in the works for a decade. She grew up in a historic home on Fort Street and her parents, Sherry and Vince Simmons, were active in the Draper community. (Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)

By Mimi Darley Dutton | [email protected]

Rosie Skinner shed tears of joy when Draper’s City Council unanimously approved a resolution establishing a bench naming and installation policy for all Draper City parks, trails, open space and other city owned property. She spoke in favor of the resolution prior to the council’s decision.

“My parents were big Draper people, my mom ran the Arts Council for years and my parents loved to do the gardening contest as well. To be able to have a bench to honor them is fantastic. I’m grateful to be able to honor my parents’ Draper legacy,” Skinner said.

A mother who’d recently lost her young son tearfully approached the council to speak in favor of the resolution. She said her son was cremated, but this resolution would allow his family and friends to have a place to go to feel connected to him.

The city will allow a predetermined plaque size on the memorial benches which will be made of metal so as to be low maintenance. City Manager David Dobbins estimates the cost of each bench at a couple thousand dollars. “We will work with the donor to come up with location and cost. They pay the full cost to the city and then we do the work,” Dobbins said.

Skinner said the idea for memorial benches in Draper has been in the works for a long time. “I’ve been working on this for 10 years, first with Michele Weeks, then Tasha Lowery, Mayor Walker and David Dobbins. What David drafted is amazing. We are so grateful, not just for us, but to create a legacy for different situations to commemorate people and even