A memorial bench makeover that led to threats of removing the seat altogether may lead to a new Vancouver parks program.
The Vancouver Park Board initially moved to yank the bench dedicated to Colin Mackay after his surviving partner, Julia Goudkova, painted it with swirling colours, which the board said amounted to vandalism.
WATCH: (Aired June 27) Fight to save painted memorial bench
The board since walked back the request, but defended its position.
Now, commissioner Tricia Barker says she will introduce a motion at the next park board meeting to launch a “bench mural” program, which would allow families to submit requests for their own paint jobs.
“I’d like to talk to park board staff and hear their recommendations so we can move forward on this,” she said Friday. “Let’s have the discussion, have a report and make something happen.”
Barker said she was disheartened by the park board’s reaction to Goudkova’s work, which she called “beautiful.”
“I’m still a human being,” she said. “We’re people and we care about people. We have to live with these rules and regulations, but I think we should go with our first thought as a compassionate human being.”
Goudkova said she took her paint brushes to the bench on Kits Beach after noticing it was getting worn down over the years since it was unveiled.
Barker said the park board has been struggling for funding to repair and upkeep memorial benches throughout the city, and hopes a mural program can fill that void.
“If we had the funding, we could make sure all our benches are looking perfect all the time,” she said. “Hopefully this program can highlight that we need that extra funding, and it can get that moving as well.”
Barker said she will take the next couple of days to craft the motion, which will be tabled at the July 8 meeting.
Ultimately, she’s hopeful the program could do for benches what murals did for graffiti on the side of the city’s buildings.
WATCH: (Aired June 27) Park Board to remove newly painted memorial bench
“I think the first reaction was, ‘You can’t just paint a bench,'” Barker said. “But what if we said, ‘OK, let’s find a really great way to paint benches.’ Not just sticking with the status quo, but seeing how we can make it better.”
Goudkova said she’d be happy to see a solution that works for families and the park board that allows for individual expression.
“I’d love to see each bench represent the essence of the person who passed on,” she said. “I didn’t set out to start a rebellion, I just wanted to have a peaceful remembrance for my late partner.
“I hope this will lead to a further conversation, and we can come to a middle ground.”
A vigil to mark the four-year anniversary of Mackay’s death is set to take place at the memorial bench on Tuesday.
—With files from Simon Little
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