Plans for tribute run adrift

Now, three years after Rudyak died of pneumococcal meningitis at age 46, his parents, who live in Brookline, want to commemorate his enterprising spirit at a small pond in Newton. And they are finding obstacles that are not so easy to move.

The Rudyaks are proposing to build a floating walkway that would encircle the shoreline of Hammond Pond, where their son liked to fish during visits from his home in Moscow. They have set aside $1 million to pay for it, and they are raring to start construction.

“We consider it our duty to honor him here,’’ said the father, Semyon Rudyak, 76. “Which parent wouldn’t want to remember his son this way?’’

To the Rudyaks’ surprise, some people in Newton are hoping the family finds some other way. Although authorities and private citizens commend the parents’ offer of such a handsome sum to the public, some express concern that the plastic boardwalk on plastic floats envisioned by the Rudyaks would spoil the appearance of the place.

“I think it’s a noble thing they’re trying to do,’’ said Daniel M. Berman, a writer and environmental activist who grew up in Chestnut Hill. “It’s so sad to bury your son. But I think that this would defile Hammond Pond rather than improve it.’’

Officials say they are happy to work with the family. But engineers, environmental agencies, and others will need to supply permits — and the city of Newton and the public will have to sign off — before the first pontoon can be placed in the water.

“A million dollars is a sizable gift. It does not happen every day,’’ said Richard K. Sullivan Jr., commissioner of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which owns the pond and a section of the shoreline. “But there is a legal process that will have to happen.’’

The Rudyaks, who emigrated from Ukraine in 1993, say they understand the need to secure permits. What they do not get is why anyone would oppose their idea to create a walkway around the entire 3/4-mile-long shoreline. Hammond Pond, which abuts the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center, is accessible only in a few spots.

“This will open a whole shoreline that right now no one can use,’’ Semyon Rudyak said as he stood on the pebbly shore, casting a rod for the bass and carp that his wife, Rufina, 72, uses to prepare gefilte fish. He demonstrated sketches of the planned walkway, and said: “It is a fantastic project.’’

He said the money for the floating boardwalk would come from a memorial fund established by the family that already has paid for a new laboratory and created scholarships at Moscow State University, and provides financial aid to the needy in Moscow and in the family’s hometown in Ukraine.

The Rudyaks say they want to honor the industrious reputation of their son, who by 2007 had amassed a fortune reportedly worth $970 million as head of a company that renovated airports, stadiums, roadways, and cityscapes across Russia. His ability to forge relationships no doubt helped.

A Russian television station recently aired a documentary about Mikhail Rudyak that featured warm recollections from Russian A-list celebrities and politicians about his ability to get things done.

“But here, we have run into bureaucracy,’’ said Semyon Rudyak. He said the family is willing to adapt the Hammond Pond plan to satisfy critics and speed up the project. The floating construction can be put in place without disturbing the shoreline or the fish and wildlife that inhabit the pond, he said. It can be altered in case any waterfront property owners — among them private homes, and the company that runs the shopping center — object to a walkway along their section of shoreline.

“It can be put together and taken apart like LEGO,’’ he said. “Once we get permits, this project will take a couple of weeks.’’

Not so fast. Any project to improve the shoreline should include an effort to clean up the pond, said Jane Sender, president of Newton Conservators, a community preservation group. With no source of spring water to replenish it, Hammond Pond has been fouled by decades of runoff from Route 9 and the adjacent shopping center, despite a recently implemented system to stem the influx of harmful substances. Overabundant geese and carp have further upset the balance, as have the thick underwater weeds.

“They are well-meaning people,’’ Sender said. “But why create nice walkways where people can enjoy the pond only to have it turned into a swamp in a few years?’’

At Hammond Pond, Rudyak shook his head as two Canada geese swam by with their gosling. “Why is this so difficult?’’ he muttered.

At this point, Ilana Adler, a 40-year resident of Newton who had been peeking at the sketch, chimed in.

“It think that it will be fantastic,’’ she said. “I think more people will use this spot for walking.’’

Rudyak listened as someone translated her words into Russian.

Then, for the first time in an hour on the beach, he smiled.

David Filipov can be reached at filipov@globe.com.