| An Irreplaceable Coastal Resource and Public Heritage |
Save Jean Klock Park
In 1917, John Nellis Klock and his wife Carrie purchased then deeded a stellar
90 acre parcel of Lake Michigan frontage to be "used by" the City of Benton
Harbor Michigan and surrounding communities explicitly and" forever" as a
public park and bathing beach. The property was dedicated "for the children"
and was named Jean Klock Park in memory of their deceased daughter who
died in infancy.
predates Michigan's State Parks. John Klock purchased the land from Edward
K. Warren who was a pioneer in the early dunes preservation movement. In
response to the City's resolution accepting the gift John Klock sent a note to
the Mayor and Common Council of the City titled; "It is More Blessed to Give
Than to Receive". In his note he mentions E.K. Warren's role to procure the
parkland then continues to say " It is our wish that the lake frontage may
always be preserved in its natural state....." From our historical research the
Friends of Jean Klock Park are convinced that the proposed golf course is
inconsistent with John Klock and E.K. Warren's intent for the land when the
park was placed in public trust.
In 2003 a group of citizens joined together to prevent the sale of a portion of
JKP for a housing development. Their efforts resulted in a lawsuit, Settlement
Agreement and Consent Judgement that allowed a small portion of property
to be developed in exchange for permanent protections of the remaining park
property forever.
What was unknown then was that for more than 20 years the former
Whirlpool CEO and Cornerstone Alliance, the Whirlpool founded Chamber
of Commerce, were planning to "transform" this publicly owned Lake
Michigan park into a privately owned golf course development. We
discovered the undisclosed intentions in December of 2004, eleven months
after the Consent Judgment was signed. Not long after it was announced that
a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course in Jean Klock Park was "key" to the
entire success of the project because of the commanding views from the dunes
and that without the "water views" the course would not qualify for signature
status. It was all hype because we soon learned, as suspected, that a water
view is not a requirement for a signature golf course.
Over a several year period $1.74M in state and federal grants were awarded to
the City of Benton Harbor for improvements to JKP. These funds come from
everyone's tax dollars which makes this anything but just a local issue. The
many grants, especially the federal Land Water and Conservation Act Fund
grant, have restrictions that should have required the project area to remain
public parkland in perpetuity. But thanks to Governor Jennifer Granholm's
guarantee of every state regulatory agency's approval possible and the heavy
leaning on federal regulatory agencies by Congressman Fred Upton, corporate
interests once again won out over the public's interest and stake in its own
land.
In addition to support from and by local citizens and organizations the
Friends of Jean Klock Park has received support and recognition for their
efforts by the Alliance for the Great Lakes , the Michigan Environmental
Council and grants from Freshwater Future (formerly Great Lakes Aquatic
Network Fund) to preserve the public's heritage of the natural resources of
JKP.
We are also part of the Defense of Place Michigan coalition of park advocacy
groups. For more information about why parks are for future generations
please visit www.defenseofplace.org
The increasing efforts in the cause to "Save Jean Klock Park" now includes a
separate and equally critical federal lawsuit that was filed by a group of 7
individuals from Benton Harbor. To learn more about this additional
litigation please visit protectjkp.com
90 acre parcel of Lake Michigan frontage to be "used by" the City of Benton
Harbor Michigan and surrounding communities explicitly and" forever" as a
public park and bathing beach. The property was dedicated "for the children"
and was named Jean Klock Park in memory of their deceased daughter who
died in infancy.
predates Michigan's State Parks. John Klock purchased the land from Edward
K. Warren who was a pioneer in the early dunes preservation movement. In
response to the City's resolution accepting the gift John Klock sent a note to
the Mayor and Common Council of the City titled; "It is More Blessed to Give
Than to Receive". In his note he mentions E.K. Warren's role to procure the
parkland then continues to say " It is our wish that the lake frontage may
always be preserved in its natural state....." From our historical research the
Friends of Jean Klock Park are convinced that the proposed golf course is
inconsistent with John Klock and E.K. Warren's intent for the land when the
park was placed in public trust.
- The boundaries of Jean Klock Park boast a half mile of Lake
Michigan shoreline and coastal resources that are considered
by experts to be the occurrence of three globally threatened
natural communities that consist of Open Dunes, a Great
Lakes Marsh, and Interdunal Wetlands. The Interdunal
Wetlands of JKP are home to a more than 100 year old state-
threatened plant species, Rose-Pink that is one of only three
potentially viable populations out of the 21 known locations
in the state.
In 2003 a group of citizens joined together to prevent the sale of a portion of
JKP for a housing development. Their efforts resulted in a lawsuit, Settlement
Agreement and Consent Judgement that allowed a small portion of property
to be developed in exchange for permanent protections of the remaining park
property forever.
What was unknown then was that for more than 20 years the former
Whirlpool CEO and Cornerstone Alliance, the Whirlpool founded Chamber
of Commerce, were planning to "transform" this publicly owned Lake
Michigan park into a privately owned golf course development. We
discovered the undisclosed intentions in December of 2004, eleven months
after the Consent Judgment was signed. Not long after it was announced that
a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course in Jean Klock Park was "key" to the
entire success of the project because of the commanding views from the dunes
and that without the "water views" the course would not qualify for signature
status. It was all hype because we soon learned, as suspected, that a water
view is not a requirement for a signature golf course.
Over a several year period $1.74M in state and federal grants were awarded to
the City of Benton Harbor for improvements to JKP. These funds come from
everyone's tax dollars which makes this anything but just a local issue. The
many grants, especially the federal Land Water and Conservation Act Fund
grant, have restrictions that should have required the project area to remain
public parkland in perpetuity. But thanks to Governor Jennifer Granholm's
guarantee of every state regulatory agency's approval possible and the heavy
leaning on federal regulatory agencies by Congressman Fred Upton, corporate
interests once again won out over the public's interest and stake in its own
land.
In addition to support from and by local citizens and organizations the
Friends of Jean Klock Park has received support and recognition for their
efforts by the Alliance for the Great Lakes , the Michigan Environmental
Council and grants from Freshwater Future (formerly Great Lakes Aquatic
Network Fund) to preserve the public's heritage of the natural resources of
JKP.
We are also part of the Defense of Place Michigan coalition of park advocacy
groups. For more information about why parks are for future generations
please visit www.defenseofplace.org
The increasing efforts in the cause to "Save Jean Klock Park" now includes a
separate and equally critical federal lawsuit that was filed by a group of 7
individuals from Benton Harbor. To learn more about this additional
litigation please visit protectjkp.com
Friends of Jean Klock Park. All rights reserved. Copyright 2008. |
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