One county decided to let its citizens decide on the choice of park benches for a redevelopment project downtown
Park benches are available in a huge variety of styles, materials, and coatings and for some people that could cause a dilemma.
That's why government planners in Montgomery County, MD, agreed to let local citizens choose the type of park benches and trash receptacles they prefer for their downtown redevelopment project.
Clever right?
There are so many options out there for park benches. Just visit the Park and Facilities Catalog website to see the hundreds of different styles we offer.
Let's start with the materials. Park benches can be manufactured with metal, concrete, wood, recycled plastic and aluminum.
That's just the beginning.
Park benches offer many options
Say for example you choose a metal park bench. There are several choices to make from there.
What size? Benches can range from 4 feet to 15 feet in length.
Do you want the metal covered with a powder-coat or a more durable thermoplastic coating?
Are you going to install the bench? Then you need to choose from a more permanent in-ground mount or a surface mount bolted into a concrete slab. (Portable is the third option).
How about the color? You can choose from a large variety of colors - black, burgundy, green, beige, blue, red, brown, dark green and so forth.
Then there are a multitude of styles. Do you want a traditional-looking Charleston Bench, a contemporary Augusta bench or an ultra-modern Pasadena bench?
There's more. How about the patterns in the seat and back?
Some park benches offer choices of diamond, perforated, fiesta, wave patterns or the traditional slat appearance.
As you can see, things can get complicated.
However, there are many strategies you will want to consider before you offer the public an enormous list to choose from.
How to narrow down the choices
Let's start with the environment. If the park benches are going to be in harsh weather conditions or near a coastal community, especially with the presence of salt air, it's best to choose a concrete bench or recycled plastic bench (although a high-grade thermoplastic coating will repel salt too).
How about maintenance? If resources are tight, perhaps it's best to opt for low-maintenance types of benches such as metal, concrete, recycled plastic or aluminum. Wooden benches do require more upkeep.
Need street furniture you can move around? Maybe a surface-mounted or portable metal bench or an aluminum bench will work. Want something more permanent? Go with an in-ground mount or a hefty concrete bench that will require a forklift to move it.
How about conforming to the current landscape design?
Perhaps your park or facility already has traditional wooden benches and you want to retain that theme. That's fine. Wooden benches with pressure-treated planks do have durability.
Another option is to add recycled plastic benches, which for all intents and purposes, can look just like a wooden bench. But with advances in the re-manufacturing of plastic scrap, these high-quality benches are now very long-lasting and require little maintenance. They won't rot, splinter or chip. Some come with an amazing 50-year warranty for the plastic planks against rotting, decay or termite infestation.
One smart option is to select matching park benches and trash receptacles. The preserves the continuity of the landscape
County lets citizens decide on benches
The initiative to gather input on the choice of site furnishings for the Silver Spring downtown area in Montgomery Count actually came from citizens, businesses, community associations and government agencies.
They asked for a say into the street furniture before it was actually installed. Most government officials would welcome that type of participation and assistance with decision-making. Montgomery County officials agreed.
The planners encouraged citizens to go downtown and view a sampling of the products in person and try them out. An online survey was created asking the public to rate the products based on comfort, aesthetic appeal, and ease of use.
Obviously, this entire project took time to plan and implement.
Sometimes, a park or facility needs a bench right away. (In fact, the Park and Facilities Catalog has a quick-ship program called ParkExpress where we can ship out many park benches in just 1-3 business days).
But other projects, such as the one in Montgomery County, underwent thorough planning and discussion beforehand. Silver Spring will undergo a major makeover. That project also includes paving, landscaping and lighting.
With a project of this magnitude (and long-term installation), its great to see the entire community involved in how they want their downtown to look.
As we said, like many other products, there are plenty of choices when it comes to park benches.
Giving the public the opportunity to come down to see, sit and experience the park benches certainly helps to make that decision easier, and one that makes people feel like they are part of the process.