Continuing its effort to spruce up the downtown streetscape, the city of Enumclaw is planning for a series of vintage steel benches.

In an interesting twist, the program looks to honor individuals in the community while seeking private funding.

The black benches will add to the new look that began with the replacement of downtown bollards, in favor of vintage streetlights. Keeping with a black color scheme, the city has repainted garbage cans and replaced wayfinding signs throughout town. Another step will be a new set of banners to adorn downtown light poles; they will continue with the black scheme and each will depict a scene from Enumclaw’s history.

Alina Hibbs, the city’s cultural arts director, noted there have been “a few groups working on transforming downtown Enumclaw.”

The new benches are intended to replace eight metal benches currently found downtown – six on Cole Street (scattered between Stevenson and Myrtle avenues) and two on Griffin Avenue. The current green benches will be moved to new locations once the new models are in place, Hibbs said.

The memorial benches are described by the city as 6 feet long “with back, decorative cast iron rosettes, flat bar steel seat bed welded into one unit, cast iron supports (and) stainless steel fasteners.”

She explained anyone can sponsor a bench in honor of an individual, a group of people, an organization – pretty much anything that conforms to an established set of city standards. The cost of sponsoring a bench is $2,000.

Each of the eight benches will include a plaque. Sponsors will be able to craft a personal message of up to 80 characters (four lines with up to 20 characters each).

Hibbs said the city will wait until all eight are sponsored before placing an order. She has heard from for interested sponsors, she said, and was hoping to receive the first completed sponsorship late last week.

If you are interested in donating a bench, view the donor application on the Enumclaw city webpage or contact Hibbs at ahibbs@ci.enumclaw.wa.us for more information.

Eight new benches, like the ones at the Veterans Memorial Park, are planned for downtown Enumclaw, each with a memorial plaque attached. Photo by Ray Miller-Still