Ludington Council to Vote to Deny Access to Cartier Park in Off-Season

[XLFD]

Carrying the Concept of Stewardship too Far?

 

Without a hint of public discussion the City of Ludington has decided to close down two city streets connecting M-116 and Rath Avenue that go through Cartier Park seasonally:

 

 

The two streets in question are depicted here on this map, with the possible road closures depicted by the red boxes, and the current roadblocks depicted in orange, the one on Slagle road and the west on on Planck are swinging, lockable gates, and the other is a giant log blocking the roadway:

 

 

Here are some supplementary pictures, this is coming in from the west on Slagle, about where the red box is above, you can see paved Slagle Drive to your left and Planck to the right, with a sign notifying you that the road is closed (the above-marked west orange blockade):

 

Planck Drive is unimproved after this point, outside the camping area and here is the second roadblock up further: 

 

Finally, here is the gate on Slagle Drive, the last of the three blockages of these roadways, just left of the gazebo on Lincoln Lake:

 

 

In the distant past, the City of Ludington decided on spending public money on creating these roadways that run through Cartier Park.  When they did so, it is unlikely they envisioned that they would be blocked in three places year-round and five different places for over half of the year, making them effectively unusable to the public at those times.  The Cartier family bequeathed this park to the Ludington citizenry to be accessible to all and used for park purposes, but that concept has been lost on the current leaders of our city.

If this closure is passed, those who come from the north via M-116, will have to go an extra couple miles to get to a place where they can walk the pathway, view Lincoln Lake, or use the dog park.  Of course, the blockages of those roadways already in place had already hindered some of this activity, but the current roadblocks probably contributed a lot to the problems they experienced, from people having to turn around after thinking they could drive through. 

 

 

Public Pays for Paving, Unable to Use It!

 

But here's the kicker.  Back in 2010, the Ludington City Council passed a motion to pave Slagle and Planck Drives inside the campground area with money from the general fund. 

 

9-13-2010 LCC Meeting Minutes

 

This was done the next year, and even more of the paths into the camping area off to the south of the two roadways were subsequently paved, without any motion I could find going through the city council.  The Cartier Park Campground is supposed to be ran like an enterprise zone, as a separate entity to the City, meaning their funds are treated separately from the City's, and they operate within the funds they get as profit. 

But the paving you see at the entrance and beyond the entrance of Cartier Park Campground was put in by the Ludington public, not through any 'Cartier Campground funds', as can be confirmed by the City's recent budget that covers the expenditures since 2010 from the Cartier funds-- none of which includes paving the streets:

 

 

 

 

So the taxpayers of Ludington originally paid for installing Slagle and Planck Drives, subsequently getting them blocked year-round by gates and tree trunks due to some executive decision by Ludington's leaders.  Now, after the citizens have paid to pave the two roadways in the campground and most of the other roadways in the campground, they want to restrict the citizens from accessing the roads they paid for?  Under the premise that our Ludington citizens cause significant damage to grass, signposts, and sewer pipes by walking, riding, or driving through the park on the off-season? 

 

One would think the taxpayers should be able to use those facilities that they paid for, in the way the facilities are meant to be used.  Roadways are made for travel, and as Ronald Reagan might put it:  "I am paying for this road, Ludington City Councilors!"   Allow us to travel unhindered on them.

[AQUAMAN]

So now, the public will be denied, in the off-season, when they have more time and no tourists to disturb their privacy, the usage of the dog park, the gazebo, the fishing piers, and so forth? There is already enough blockades out there as it is now, why this, and why now, so quick, under the radar? I would be interested in seeing the police reports of the vandalisms that have been touted as the reasons for this, or is that too much to ask?