Dune Walk bench dedicated to late city manager

BY STAN MADDUX

He died from COVID-19 before realizing a final dream but his memory is being kept alive on the new handicapped accessible Dune Walk he helped launch at the public beach in New Buffalo.

A new totally handcrafted wooden bench on the Dune Walk was dedicated Saturday, May 13, in memory of David Richards, who was city manager when he succumbed to COVID-19.

Richards was 69 when he died in late December of 2020.

The more user-friendly Dune Walk opened to the public last fall.

“This project was very important to Dave. He said to me, personally, he started it and he really wanted to see it through its’ completion. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen but I know he’s here today in spirit,” said New Buffalo City Clerk Amy Fidler.

A small plaque containing the names of Richards and New Buffalo resident Mary Rose Roberts, who ordered and paid for the bench, is on the front of what’s also viewed as a work of art.

Roberts, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few years ago, said she wanted a bench for all people with physical challenges using Dune Walk to be able to sit down and enjoy the view of the surrounding landscape and water.

Her idea stems from being unable to keep up with family members while hiking Warren Dunes State Park because of how her progressive condition weakens her legs.

Roberts said the bench provides a place for people with physical limitations to still get out with loved ones and enjoy the beautiful surroundings while waiting for them to return from their hiking.

“I’m just really looking forward to people enjoying this bench for a lifetime,” she said.

Roberts said dedicating the bench in memory of Richards was an idea from City Hall after she reached out looking for someone to dedicate it to.

She felt honored to do it for him after learning more about Richards personally.

“They mentioned how much the city staff loved Dave Richards. How he dedicated his life to community. It’s just such an important thing for me that we all focus more on our communities and doing the best we can,” she said.

She commissioned Eric Trowbridge, the owner of a wood working company in Elkhart, Indiana, for the job and donated the $5,000 in supplies.

The maker of customer cabinetry and other things like furniture didn’t charge for much of the 150 hours invested in designing and assembling the bench made from bending white oak and mahogany slats.

The bench rests on a metal base colored in a variety of blues, greens and browns from applying chemicals to the surface to create an aging effect.

“It kind of correspondents with the lake and the sea grass and the sand,” Trowbridge said.

Trowbridge said the slats and stain used on the wood were selected to reflect the rolling textures of the sand and different color the sand takes on at the shoreline from contact with the water coming in from the lake.

Mayor John Humphrey said the Dune Walk is much improved over the old one, which was narrower, steeper and contained more stairs.

The old Dune Walk was also closed to the public because of disrepair brought on by age before it was torn down and replaced at the same location at a cost of nearly $900,000.

Humphrey said the project was funded primarily with federal and state dollars along with a monetary contribution from the Pokagon Fund.

He said Dune Walk and the bench reflect conversations between him and Richards during the final months of his life about the need to return the city to a path of investment in municipal best practices and the need to support continued reinvestment in community.

“The last time I spoke to Dave on ZOOM from his hospital bed he reaffirmed both of those needs to me and told me don’t worry, John. You’re doing the right thing. So, this bench can be a testament to my relationship with Dave, to me personally. It can be that to each of his friends and family,” he said.