Speedy Denny grew up in the landscaping business. His dad owned a sod company, and he spent years working with his hands in the soil. Downtown Richmond had an eyesore off Main Street, that was essentially paved over to cover a sewer line. Denny had an idea for that space, and as luck would have it, he also had a friend in the city manager.
“I said I’ve got a collection of millstones, I’d love to give them to the city, and I’ll put them in for free,” Denny recalled of his conversation in 2018.
His idea was given the green light and one year later, in September of 2019 he went to work.
“He said, ‘you’re good to go.’ No paperwork, no contract, no plans, nothing. He said, ‘do whatever you’ve got in mind,’” Denny explained.
He started with 8 millstones of his own, then literally began knocking on doors to see if homeowners had some stone, they wouldn’t mind parting with. Word began to spread among community members who came to Denny’s Facebook page to help him locate more. Some were donated. The rest wasn’t cheap.