Trending
The Whispering Giant statue on Lake Shore Drive in Dunkirk won’t get an enclosure in time for the winter. Instead, it will be wrapped tightly against Lake Erie’s fury, as it has the past couple winters.
“It’s more important to do it respectfully and right than it is to try and rush it,” said city Department of Public Works Director Randy Woodbury at a recent DPW committee meeting.. “That will also give us time to find money (to build it).”
There are several designs for an enclosure floating around, the latest composed by city employee Glenn Christner. Woodbury suggested asking the nearby Seneca Nation to choose a design. The wood-carved statue by Peter Toth depicts a Native American.
Whatever the exact design, “it’s basically stilts with a roof on the lake,” DPW Deputy Director Mike Przybycien said. “It needs to have a substantial foundation.”
Przybycien said he’s been in touch with Toth and the sculptor feels a roof could protect the statue, but it’s not a necessity. The most important thing is that moisture does not warp the wood, and whether it is covered by a roof or tightly wrapped is secondary.
“The fact that we’ve been sealing it and maintaining it has helped immensely,” Przybycien said.