Berlin Parks Commission member Mike Wiley

By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer

(Dec. 12, 2019) A standard operating procedure for memorials in public parks cleared its first hurdle during the Berlin Parks Commission meeting last Tuesday.

Mary Bohlen, deputy town administrator and commission liaison, said there’s no official plan in place for memorials in municipal parks. Members began the early stages of the discussion process last week.

Berlin Parks Commission member Mike Wiley said the idea for the program was inspired by a proposal made at the Oct. 1 commission meeting to plant a memorial tree at Stephen Decatur Park.

Wiley said people planning to elect to take advantage of these memorial planting services should keep in mind that there are certain types of plants that work well with the environment.

“Everyone means well when they want to do it, but they don’t think about the long-term effects of it,” Wiley said.

He also said that people should come to the town’s parks commission with requests discuss their plans. He added that applicants could learn if the types of plants they’ve chosen are “acceptable or unacceptable.”

Wiley said people frequently remember a loved one with a commemorative tree or flower. Others choose to install a bench.

“Well, by putting in environmentally correct things … we can make sure we have native species that are attrac- tive to wildlife,” Wiley said.

He added the initiative could “be very important for” Berlin’s Bee City USA affiliate recertification. The efforts aim to increase the town’s pollinator population by planting types of native species in gardens throughout the area as well as several public parks.

As for developing a policy, Bohlen said the Berlin Parks Commission would research approaches made by other communities via the National and Maryland Recreation and Parks associations.