Heritage Park Plaques

The fountain at the tip of Heritage Park was removed it last year as part of the work to replace/upgrade the utilities under Main Street, Kincaid and Cherry Avenues and to repave with the at-level plaza that connects the park to its adjacent blocks with no curb. When the fountain was removed, the contractor tried to remove the plaques installed within it. Some were brittle and shattered. Others survived the removal and were put in storage.

As these plaques were the property of the City of Sumner, the Council’s Finance and Personnel Committee confirmed the surplus of these items, allowing the City to dispense of them legally. Thus, the remaining plaques will be made available for the public to collect on September 9. Below is more information on the rules and guidelines to keep this process simple and fair to all interested. Also below is a list of names on the plaques available.

Process for Obtaining Plaque(s)

All plaques will be laid out in Council Chambers at City Hall on September 9, 2024. Door opens at 8 am. You will be permitted to come in and take the plaque you desire. One plaque per person. Doors close promptly at 10 am. They will reopen at 5 pm for those who were unable to come to the morning time slot to choose. After 5:30 pm, the “one plaque per person” rule will no longer apply. Any left at 6 pm will be given to the Sumner Historical Society.

Rules & Guidelines

• This process is strictly first-come, first-served on the scheduled day and times.
• We will not be taking any personal information or tracking who takes which plaques.
• If you want a plaque and can’t make it, you can send a friend to get the plaque. However, because of the one-plaque per person rule, you will want to send someone who doesn’t want to also get a plaque for themselves.
• City staff will not arbitrate between two or more people wanting the same plaque. Again, it’s first come, first served. Any further debate will be a matter between individuals.
• No reservations, no advance requests via in-person, phone or email.
• The Chambers are fully ADA accessible.
• All plaques are to be taken as is.
• The City is not responsible for any plaques that are damaged during or after this process.

A Few More Details

• We have tried to keep this process as simple and fair as possible. Please help us ensure that the process respects all people wanting a plaque, especially if the plaque bears someone’s family name.
• The one-plaque-per-person rule is to avoid an individual or store from trying to take all and sell them to seek a profit.
• We are posting this information to the website, e-newsletter and social media. Please help us spread the word by passing the information along to any others who may be interested and sharing on your own social media.
• The City passed Resolution 914 in March 1996 to accept the individual donations to build Heritage Park. The resolution specifies that individuals donated to the park project. Even if a plaque was produced to honor that support, the resolution specifies that “no goods or services were received” by donors for their donations. In other words, no one ever “bought” the plaques initially, and the plaques were never owned by anyone other than the City of Sumner.
• The bricks were a separate process through which people paid to put their name on “bricks,” which turned out to be decorative quarter brick veneers. When they were pulled up, there was no way to get them out whole and save them. We have all the records of the names, which will go back into the park with the new park design. We’re not entirely sure how, but we probably won’t use veneer bricks again. Until we can complete the updated park design, we will install a temporary sign with the names from the bricks in the current park to honor these original gifts.

Plaque Inventory