The Idle and the Skaters

[XLFD]

2020 Memorial Day weekend in Ludington was quite the downer for many tourists and locals alike.  The latest executive orders issued by the governor freed up points north, including Manistee County, but sadly put Mason County in the same region as populous Kent County, so expect nothing out of the governor's mansion liberating our tourism industry anytime soon.  In those orders issued five days ago before the weekend, gatherings of ten or fewer people were allowed, which actually could have permitted some activities this weekend, had it been acted upon with haste.  

One of these activities would have been to allow the skate park down at Stearns beach to open.  For the four days of the weekend, this hotbed of springtime activity remained unused.  It is reported that the people that tried to use it, were harassed and chased off by the local cops.  When I went there on Memorial Day, the path to the entrance was effectively blocked by snow fence, once you went around that you could still see the remnants of ripped police tape.   If you look closely below, you can even see the Ludington Police Department (LPD) Tahoe in the background, keeping things secured.  

The south side of the "Plaza" shows that the skate park is closed.  Looking at the details, you see that City Manager (and Park Superintendent) Foster  has a signed edict closing the skate park due to the recommendation of the local health department and the governor's orders.

However, the latest order seemingly allowed such grounds to open as long as there are less than eleven people using it at one time.  Portage is a sizable town in Kalamazoo County where793 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed and 47 deaths have occurred due to that factor.  Mason County in comparison has had 31 cases confirmed and zero deaths.  Yet, the City of Portage looked at the latest order with its share of lemons, and squeezed it to make lemonade, they announced Friday that it is reopening some of its park amenities. 

They opened:

Pickle Ball Courts
Tennis Courts
Dog Park (with a maximum of ten people)
Skate Park (with a maximum of ten people)

They kept basketball courts, playground equipment, pavilions, and restrooms closed as their guidance  told them that the virus could be spread easier those ways.  

Ludington has not closed the school's tennis courts, nor is there any indication they closed the dog park in Cartier, but they did not proactively consider the new guidelines as a way to provide children and young adults with a skating outlet for all of their pent-up energy.  Nor have they provided older adults their own outlet and opened up the pickleball courts.  

Instead, the energy at the skate park this weekend was supplied by the LPD and sheriff's office keeping the skate park clear of youngsters just wanting to go out and have fun.  It just so happens to be a rather safe way to enjoy yourself and have a low chance to contract or spread the virus.  But if the yellow tape on the south side of the 'Plaza' wasn't a big enough deterrent, that squad car with the determined looking police officer inside just might.

Maybe somebody could also explain why the Jaycee's mini-golf was also closed.  It seems like the attendant could sanitize the club handles and golf balls after each use and thus provide another fun beachside activity for groups of ten or less, but that was also closed due to the virus crisis and could conceivably be opened safely under the new order.  That course is just beyond the police car in the background from this angle.

I had went to the park on Saturday and witnessed some people skating, by the time I had come back along the way, I saw some youths with skateboards hanging out at the west end slab, occasionally skating on its flat but sandy surface.  In just one year, this new addition to the park hasn't been tended to at all; the ornate landscaping of last year has either been deluged by sand or neglected totally.  These kids were apparently using it to wait out the police presence at the 'Plaza'.  

It isn't enough that almost all of the downtown was closed this weekend for in-person activities, that alone might make Ludington less interesting to visit for those that hazarded a trek to our shores.  But when we keep our public facilities needlessly closed and in disrepair, that may make visitors less likely to consider Ludington in the future, and for them to tell their friends and social media of the boring experience they had here on the first weekend of summer.  

That will impact the tourism effect on our economy when it eventually starts once again and provide even less revenue for the local government in the future when the full economic impact of this shutdown comes to bear.  This week, it's time for the DPW and city management to work quickly in order to salvage what we as an organic community can get this summer.  If this is still the status quo next week, our city leaders will need to be held to account for not doing their jobs while they and their state overlords prevent many of us from doing ours.

[Freedom Seeker]

Maybe the elites were out of town for the weekend , enjoying somewhere else and figuring out how to bring the city back and change Ludington into something else. Never happy with the great natural beauty and peaceful nature and water resources we have here in Ludington, those things which drew so many to Ludington in the first place. What do you consider an "organic" community, X?

[Freedom Seeker]

Being curious of your definition of "organic" community led me to this book review from 2007:

http://jrwoodward.net/archive/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/07/chart...

... and others who categorize "organic community" as one in which many participate in diverse ways, rather than by a "master plan" of elite organizers (simply put). Well, imo, this is how Ludington was and probably still is achieving its goals since after the turn of the century. We have a diverse community and more than "the elites" should dictate Ludington's goals but sadly it seems some in "power" are in it for themselves, their own goals and ideals, their promotion, and business betterment, rather than to listen to what their constituents want and need. I believe Mitch Foster has tried to make a change to listen to the citizens, but the "master plan" has been developed by the elites and is deeply ingrained. Not saying it is all bad, but it didn't have much public participation.

[Du Wright]

"Organic" to me means "unpolluted" with man made chemicals.  BUY ORGANIC!  

"Organic community"?  Got me baffled, unless meaning "unpolluted community" ha ha.  Now that's a goal for Ludington.  But how this all ties in with the skate park being closed over Memorial Day weekend is a curious thought.  

[XLFD]

That was technically what I was meaning by an organic community, without defining it.  Currently, we are totally inorganic as our directives come from one unstable source who treats a virus-free inherently-socially-distancing village like Walhalla as if it were downtown Detroit at the high point of the epidemiologist's bell curve.  If we actually were following science, we would actually see that bell curve is mostly behind us, and further attempts to flatten an already flattened curve will only increase the chances that this may spike again in the fall (which is what some leftists are actually hoping for).  

Our new city manager and his staff must weigh in the various factors present for opening up more of the City's parks and recreation activities.  It's understandable that they might fear the loss of funding or support from the state if they do not follow the governor and stay within lashing distance of the attorney general.  But the one-size-fits-all approach to running Ludington that the governor is implementing is only running it into the ground and ruination.  Portage hasn't caught the governor's radar for opening their facilities, we need to get things prepared to open our city this summer, or storm city hall and ask them to stand up, do their jobs, and do their jobs now or be fired as a non-essential entity.  To be replaced by people that care about their community.  Alas, Willy's post acknowledges that most of our business leaders are as weak-willed and spineless as those at city hall.

[Freedom Seeker]

Thanks for the explanation, X.  As much as I can agree with you about the bell curve flattening and getting people back to work and life back to normal, I also feel the wrath of the Whitler doing what she accuses Trump of--withholding funds if we don't follow her dictates. But getting life back to normal is imperative to heal our economy, I feel. Young, unexperienced, power-hungry, illogical, hypocritical Whitmer is just that in this crisis.

The concept that we might as well get back to life and let this virus pass in the summer before fall comes is an interesting one since there are promises of a vaccine, but it's like grasping at straws. It would be nice to have antibody tests available, I heard Muskegon was giving them free.

And as always, those vulnerable can always socially distance themselves which is a more simple process than Ludington "becoming a truly serving organic community."

I feel that some people getting above-average unemployment additions and certain public servants enjoying a lightened work load will take advantage of not wanting to go to work.

[XLFD]

The skate park opened this morning as the DPW continues to work to open up the rest of the park.  They were busy working on the playground area when I visited the area around two o'clock this afternoon.  Confirmation was given by LPD Officer Sue Maltby who was in the area working on reports.

[Willy]

I also saw the police sitting on their keesters protecting us from the outrageous teen age skate boarders. This shows me just how little they have to do and how much free time they have on their hands. Let’s declare the police dept. non essential and let them work from home. As it is now, not only are they non essential they are also uneffective. Do some real police work and solve cold cases of those serial jay walkers that are making a mockery of our precious traffic signals.