National Park Service
Save Jean Klock Park


    The National Park Service has rejected the
    conversion proposal for Jean Klock Park!

    On Tuesday October 16, 2007, the National Park Service sent a
    letter to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, rejecting
    the City of Benton Harbor's proposal to perpetually lease Jean Klock
    Park to private interests, to construct part of a golf course in the
    park.

    Obviously this is a major victory but Governor Granholm and
    Harbor Shores plan to appeal the decision which means we will need
    continued support to make certain they do not prevail! To find out
    how you can help go to the 'How to Help' page. Also, please sign
    our petition asking the Governor to withdraw her support for the
    Jack Nicklaus golf course in Jean Klock Park.

    The National Park Service called the proposed replacement lands for
    the Jean Klock Park acreage that would be lost:

    “insufficient in magnitude, capacity,  and viability to mitigate the
    subject 22.11 acre or any larger conversion.”


    The National Park Service correctly recognized the injustice that
    was proposed for Jean Klock Park and the people of Benton Harbor
    and soundly rejected the proposal on all grounds, including the lease
    agreement between  the City and the developer.

    The Friends of Jean Klock Park and supporters applaud the National
    Park Service for seeing through the smokescreen of the proposal for
    Jean Klock Park and for diligently and thoroughly reviewing the
    conversion proposal.

    Updates:

    December 12, 2007

    The City of Benton Harbor, who applied to the MDNR for the
    conversion proposal for Jean Klock Park, is allowing Cornerstone
    Alliance to reformat and separate the lease/management agreement
    to resubmit to the MDNR.

    Before the MDNR can send the proposal back to the National Park
    Service a 30 day comment period and public hearing must be held.
    Although the MDNR has not received  the revisions we have been
    told that the comment period may take place sometime in January.

    Our position is: the NPS rejected the proposal on strong grounds.
    No "tweaking" of the lease or use of the park will ever be legitimate--
    Period.

    The NPS rejection should be looked at by the public as the sound
    rejection of full privatization of the park. No reworking of a lease
    between the City and the private entity called Harbor Shores Inc. is
    going to change that--so any new proposal is essentially dead in the
    water.