Whirlpool Picnic Closes Park to the Public

    Carol Drake
    Co-founder
    Friends of Jean Klock Park

    Whirlpool leased Jean Klock Park for their company picnic which was scheduled for
    Saturday, September 8th, 2007 at 4:00 PM. Because of the Land Water and
    Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant, a federal grant, that was awarded to the City of
    Benton Harbor for park improvements, the park is to remain open to the public
    during special events. For nearly 4 days the general public was barred from access to
    the park.

    Beginning Thursday September 6th, canopies were erected in the parking lot area of
    the park. Later that day a private security company that was hired to guard the
    "equipment" for the event began turning the general public away, telling them the
    park was closed for a private Whirlpool picnic.

    On Friday September 7th, a concerned member of the public went to the park to
    take pictures of the holes being driven in the parking lot to erect the canopies for the
    event and witnessed a car of Benton Harbor residents being denied access.

    The day of the picnic a member of the Friends of Jean Klock Park and a city official
    went to the park to check on whether the public was being allowed to the park.
    When they arrived there was yellow police tape across the entrance to the park. The
    City Manager, Dwight Mitchell, was called to inform him that the general public was
    not being allowed into the park. He agreed that it was in violation of the LWCF Act
    but told the caller that it was after the fact and there was nothing he could do about it.

    It was explained to an organizer of the event that the park must remain open to the
    public at all times, including during the Whirlpool picnic. The organizer indicated that
    they were told they could close the park to the public for the event, and that the
    reason why they couldn't use Silver Beach, a Berrien County Park, because it too
    must remain open to the public. The planner for the event went on to say that
    Whirlpool employees would be parking at pick-up locations and would brought in by
    shuttle buses. The city official told the organizer that she was a city resident that
    wanted to use the park and asked where she was supposed to park. She was told that
    the public would have to access the park from the lake front.

    The city official then spoke with a man that signed the contract with the city who
    said that the City Manager and Police Chief  had told him that at 4:00 Jean Drive
    would be blocked by the police and that they would be allowed to close the park to
    the public.

    At 5:00 that afternoon I went back to the park to survey the situation. Both ends of
    Jean Drive were blocked by Sheriff's Posse who told everyone who attempted to use
    the Park that it was closed to the public for a "private" Whirlpool picnic.



    The following Sunday after the picnic, I and many members of the public attempted
    to access the park but were turned away saying that the park had been rented until
    Monday morning and was still closed to the public.

    This is not the first time the city of Benton Harbor has violated the terms of the
    contract they entered into with DNR and National Park Service for the grant funds
    that were provided for the park. In 2004 the park was closed over the 4th of July
    weekend for a Biker's Weekend on the Beach" and other special events since.

    At that time I contacted the City Manager in writing about the practice of privatizing
    the park. I copied that letter to the Department of Natural Resources and the
    Michigan State Department of Treasury who informed the City Manager that
    privatizing the park did violate LWCF requirements and that at future special events
    the general public must be allowed access to the park.

    On September 11th the Herald Palladium published a report about the park being
    closed to the general public. In the article Jeff Noel, vice president of
    communications and public affairs for Whirlpool attempted to say there was a
    misunderstanding. You can read that report at the link below:



    On Sunday September 30th, the Herald Palladium published a Guest Column written
    by myself explaining to the public that despite some of the letters to the Editor that
    praised Whirlpool's presence in the community, and that Whirlpool should be allowed
    to use the park in this manner. But as explained in that column, this is not about what
    Whirlpool contributes, it's about the city of Benton Harbor's city manager's blatant
    decision to violate state and federal law.

    Park Closing was no misunderstanding
Save Jean Klock Park

Friends of Jean Klock Park | PO Box 8988 | Benton Harbor, MI 49023
info@savejeanklockpark.org | www.savejeanklockpark.org
© 2009 Friends of Jean Klock Park. All Rights Reserved.