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Residents urge updates to Jean Klock Park rules, call for town hall and increased patrols
Summary
Members of the Jean Klock Neighborhood Coalition and other residents urged the committee to place Chapter 28 (park rules) on the agenda, cited 79 cleared 911 calls in 14 months, and pushed for enhanced enforcement, a beach town hall and sanitation fixes for park porta-potties.
Residents asked the legislative committee to update the ordinance governing Jean Klock Park, increase enforcement and host a public town hall to resolve conflicts over after-hours activity and safety.
"Jean Klock Park does belong to the people of Benton Harbor," Jacqueline Elliott, a founding member of the Jean Klock Neighborhood Coalition, told the committee, and requested that Chapter 28 be placed on the agenda with the city attorney and city manager. Elliott said residents had documented reckless driving, drag racing and "the open display of a firearm confirmed by law enforcement" and asserted there had been "79 cleared 911 calls associated with Jean Klock Park over the past 14 months."
Commissioners and commenters debated whether the park should be closed at 10 p.m. if the city cannot sustain active night patrols. A number of speakers said the existing gate restricts vehicle access but does not prevent pedestrians from walking along the sidewalk; others argued the city should enforce posted closing hours already in Chapter 28. Several participants recommended a town hall on the beach to allow residents and visitors to discuss competing uses and enforcement strategies.
Public commenters also raised maintenance and sanitation concerns. A long-time attendee identified as Mr. Duncan said the portable toilets downtown were in poor condition and urged more visible results from commissioners after two decades of attendance: "There should be officers out there pretty much all the damn time," he said, adding that porta-potty cleaning and monitoring had not met expectations.
Speakers suggested operational fixes including reviewing the porta-potty cleaning schedule, rotating cameras, partnering with Michigan Works Youth programs to provide supervised attendants, and pursuing funding identified in a parks resolution. A commissioner said a prior parks-and-rec resolution had proposed advancing up to $40,000 for Harbor View that specifically mentioned toilets and a lift station and that recent plumbing work and boardwalk repairs had occurred at Gene Clark Park.
Committee members said they would put Chapter 28 on the agenda, follow up on porta-potty schedules and work with public safety to schedule a town hall on the beach to include residents and other stakeholders.
