Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Parks topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press Benton Harbor commission for clearer Jean Clark Park rules and immediate safety fixes
Summary
Residents and a neighborhood coalition urged Benton Harbor officials to fix damaged vehicle spikes, clarify park rules in Chapter 28, improve signage, and explain the legal basis for restricting vehicle access after 10 p.m.; commissioners pledged review and staff engagement but made no final policy change.
Several residents and members of the Jean Clark Neighborhood Coalition urged the Benton Harbor City Commission to take immediate and concrete steps to make Jean Clark Park safer and easier to navigate. Jacqueline Elliott asked city attorney Sarah Senica for a legal explanation of the city’s position that it cannot restrict vehicle access to the park after 10 p.m. while maintaining pedestrian access, saying the distinction ‘‘matters enormously for public safety.’’
Susan Hertog, who said she lives on Grand Boulevard, told the commission the vehicle entrance’s Cobra road spike unit is damaged and nonfunctional and estimated replacement at approximately $4,000. ‘‘A gate may be a better solution and it also may be a cheaper one,’’ she said, urging the city manager to evaluate both options and provide a timeline.
Coalition members Melanie Taylor and Michelle Curata described inconsistent signage and enforcement at Jean Clark Park and told the commission that unclear rules — about dogs, golf carts and vehicle access — are causing confrontations and confusion for residents and visitors. Curata recounted a recent episode in which ‘‘a man in a silver unmarked vehicle drove up to us and began yelling aggressively at us that we could not be at the beach with our dog,’’ and said enforcement personnel should be in marked vehicles and identify themselves before engaging the public.
Christy Peterson, a coalition member, told the commission that residents had documented safety problems and sent detailed reports to city staff months before a May 18 shooting at the park; she asked the commission to establish a clear point of contact for resident safety concerns and to commit to documented responses.
Commissioners acknowledged the problems and repeatedly urged staff to review Chapter 28 — the city’s park ordinance, which speakers said has not been meaningfully updated since 1972 — and to standardize signage and enforcement practices. Several commissioners thanked Deputy Director Michael Clark and Deputy Director Brian Kismirski for meeting with coalition representatives earlier in the day; staff told speakers they had engaged the coalition to clarify enforcement priorities.
No formal policy or ordinance amendment was adopted at the meeting. Instead, the commission directed staff to review the legal framework for restricting vehicle access, assess short-term repairs (including the road-spike unit), and return with options, cost estimates and a timeline. The coalition asked that the city provide clear written rules and consistent signage so residents and enforcement personnel can rely on the same standards.
The commission did not set a specific date for action; several speakers asked that staff return with a timetable and that the legislative committee take up a formal review of Chapter 28.
