In 1917, John Nellis Klock and his wife Carrie purchased, then deeded a stellar 90 acre parcel (of which only 73 acres remain) of Lake Michigan frontage property, to the City of Benton Harbor Michigan and surrounding communities to be used 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.
s property for a housing development. Their efforts resulted in a lawsuit and Consent Judgment. Because there was no reverter clause in the deed the entire park was at risk. The court order allowed a small portion of property to be developed in exchange for preserving the remaining park property forever. Jean Klock Park is one of the oldest parks in the state of Michigan and predates Michigan's State Parks. The Klock's purchased the land from Edward K. Warren who, along with them, was a pioneer in the early 'Dunes Preservation Movement'. From our historical research the Friends of Jean Klock Park are convinced that the proposed golf course is inconsistent with John Klock's intent for the park when he placed it in public trust. The park's boundaries host a half mile of Lake Michigan shoreline and include, what are considered by experts to be, the occurrence of three globally threatened natural communities consisting of: Great Lakes Open Dunes, a Great Lakes Marsh, and Interdunal Wetlands. The Interdunal Wetlands are home to a state-threatened plant species, Rose-Pink, one of the three potentially viable populations out of the 21 known locations in the state. Over a several year period, $1.74M in state and federal grants were awarded to the City of Benton Harbor for improvements to the park. These funds come from our, and your, state and federal tax dollars which makes this anything but a local issue. The last improvements took place in 2002 with the addition of a boardwalk and deck, a concert pavilion, a sidewalk and street lamps. These grants, especially the federal Land Water and Conservation Act Fund, have restrictions that require the project area to remain public parkland in perpetuity. What was unknown to us and the public was that before and during the 2003 litigation was that 20 year plans were in the making by Dave Whitwam former Whirlpool CEO which were supported by Jeff Fettig, the current Whirlpool CEO, and Cornerstone Alliance, the Whirlpool founded Chamber of Commerce, to take control of this publicly owned Lake Michigan park for three holes of a privately owned Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. We discovered their undisclosed intentions to use Jean Klock Park for the golf course in December of 2004, eleven months after the Consent Judgment was finalized. From the beginning the people of Benton Harbor have been led to believe that a golf course is the only option available to rid the city of poverty and oppression and are being forced to choose jobs over their park and environment when they should be entitled to have both jobs and their natural lake front environment. Throughout they have been excluded from the decision making process and their concerns for the park have been ignored by their city leaders, Congressman Upton and Governor Granholm, who have assisted Harbor Shores with the permit process through State Regulatory Agencies. In the fall of 2006 the City of Benton Harbor voted on a draft of a lease agreement for the Park and in January of 2007 entered into a signed lease agreement with Harbor Shores Community Redevelopment, Inc. Although Harbor Shores say they will be using only 22 acres, the proposed development would take nearly 75% of the 73 remaining acres of parkland which includes the globally threatened dunes, marsh and interdunal wetlands. The developers claim this will be an economic development engine for community transformation that will provide jobs for Benton Harbor residents and improve and expand Jean Klock Park, providing the current residents of Benton Harbor more green space. The reality is it will destroy the Dunes and restrict access to them by the general public and convert the pristine beach area to a parking lot. The replacement parcels, wetlands Harbor Shores can't use or develop, and which are not of equal value to Dunes and globally threatened communities, do not expand the park because most are scattered parcels located inside the golf course. A golf course cannot be considered a “park improvement”, only a golf course. It’s the taking of public parkland for private interests. There are 27 golf courses within a 30 mile radius of Benton Harbor, some are exclusive, some are not. Some have closed to become residential properties and some are struggling to keep the courses open. Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses also fail and that is a huge concern. There is no guarantee that this course will succeed and it’s the opinion of many that it will not. Not in this area. To use Jean Klock Park on speculation that the course will survive is not only risky but highly irresponsible. Jean Klock Park should not be sacrificed for other’s lack of vision. Instead it should serve as its own centerpiece as an historical and natural resource. Friends of Jean Klock Park are joined by the Alliance for the Great Lakes and local citizens and organizations in their effort to preserve the natural heritage of the park. 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 Thanks to the sponsorship and support of the Michigan Environmental Council the Friends of Jean Klock Park were awarded a grant from the Great Lakes Aquatic Network Fund (now Freshwater Future) for various expenses. IMPORTANT ADDITION: The efforts of others in the cause to "Save Jean Klock Park" are expanding! Please visit www.protectjkp.com. |
| Jean Klock Park A Southwest Michigan Environmental Treasure |
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| Friends of Jean Klock Park. All rights reserved. Copyright 2008. |
