Duluth’s Lester Park Golf Course To Host Wooden Memorial Bench Pickup Event

With the future of Duluth's Lester Park Golf Course destined to transition from a golf venue to a housing development that will include housing dedicated to senior citizens, the City of Duluth is looking to get elements of the course back to people who made donations over the years.

Those items in question? Benches at the course that stand as memorials and honorariums in honor of friends and loved ones thanks to donations from members of the community.

Giving these benches is a bit of a process that took approval due to rules the city must follow related to what is categorized as surplus property. These benches fall under that category, requiring specific ways in which these benches could be redistributed or repurposed.

One of those methods is for such surplus items to be given as a donation to a registered nonprofit, which can then redistribute the items. That's what is happening in the case of these benches, which hold sentimental value to those with ties to people the honor.

The City of Duluth announced today that it granted approval to the Friends of Duluth Public Golf (FODPG) to organize a special wooden memorial bench pickup event at the Lester Park Golf Course. This event gives individuals the chance to collect these benches.

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In an effort to give friends and family members the chance to get these benches, the transfer to FODPG will allow individuals to get benches of personal importance for private use to continue to allow the memories they honor to live on.

The collection event has been announced for Thursday, November 2, from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm. Individuals will be able to go to Lester Park Golf Course to pick up these benches on a first come, first served basis.

City officials do point out that this is a one-time event, and they will not accept any early birds or pre-requests. In order to receive a bench, you'll have to sign a release of liability form and be prepared to load and transport the benches on your own.

For more information, you can contact Trish Lilleberg with FODPG at info@fodpg.org.