Rotary Representative Dick Sammisha

Dick Sammisha has been a criminal defense lawyer in Berrien County for more than 40 years. He has also been a member of Lakeshore Rotary and a past president and district governor. Dick gave a presentation on the “Downtown Stevensville Project” being sponsored by Lakeshore Rotary. 

This project began in 2023, when Dick was the chair of the Lakeshore Rotary Fundraising Committee. Dick felt that, to raise funds, it was best to have a great project to stimulate donor interest. Dick and his committee met with the Stevensville Village Manager, who was excited to collaborate with Rotary. The idea for a project was to erect a pavilion or courtyard in the downtown area. Bridgman has just recently finished a similar project in their downtown area.

The best site for this project was a parking lot at the intersection of St. Joseph Ave. and Kimmel St. The idea expanded to include closing Kimmel St. and incorporating it into the courtyard as well. After receiving a design from Abonmarche, the projected cost was $200,000! After this, Dick downsized the plan. The committee just wanted a simple meeting place in the middle of town where families could sit down and eat an ice cream cone, or groups could meet. The new plan includes a reopened Kimmel St (one way) and simple benches and chairs with a fire pit. Dick used AI and ChatGPT to render this new plan. For funding, Lakeshore Rotary has already held a “Wine and Cheese” party with sponsors and has lined up a potential $50,000 matching grant from the state. 

Dick is very excited about this project. “It will be right in the heart of downtown and will be transformative for Stevensville,” he said. “It may take another one or two years, but we will get it done.”