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Editorial by Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
For the third time in less than a decade, the City of Ludington is considering charging people to park at Stearns Park and other waterfront locations. And for the third time, it is a bad idea.
The latest proposal calls for a $15 daily parking fee or a $75 annual pass, with free parking for qualifying Ludington property owners and city residents. It would affect approximately 411 parking spaces at Stearns Park and other waterfront locations from May 15 through Sept. 15.
The proposal is up for discussion during today’s City Council meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at the Ludington Municipal Complex, 400 S. Harrison St.
But there is a significant flaw in this proposal that deserves much more attention: It effectively penalizes the thousands of Mason County residents who live outside Ludington’s city limits but contribute to the city’s economy every day.
Ludington may be a city with defined municipal boundaries, but its economy extends well beyond those boundaries. The city is the economic center of Mason County. Its businesses, employers, restaurants, retail stores and service providers depend on customers and employees from throughout the county.
People who live in Scottville, Hamlin Township, Pere Marquette Township, Amber Township, Riverton Township, Fountain, Free Soil, and elsewhere in Mason County travel into Ludington to work, shop, dine and conduct business.
They support businesses that employ people, occupy commercial property and contribute to the city’s tax base.
Many of them work in Ludington, helping its industries, businesses, schools, medical facilities and other employers operate successfully.
These people are not simply tourists passing through town for an afternoon. They are part of the community that makes Ludington economically viable.
Yet under this proposal, a family living just outside the city limits could be charged $15 to spend an afternoon at the beach, while a family living a few blocks away, inside the city limits, would park for free.
What message does that send?
It suggests that the contributions of Mason County residents matter when they are spending money at Ludington businesses or working for Ludington employers, but not when they want to enjoy the city’s most recognizable public park.
That is neither fair nor particularly good economic policy.
To be clear, we recognize that people who own property within Ludington pay city property taxes that help support Stearns Park and other municipal facilities. That is a legitimate distinction. However, property taxes are not the only measure of someone’s contribution to a community.
Ludington businesses rely on customers from throughout Mason County. The economic activity those customers generate supports jobs, commercial property values and the business community that helps sustain the city’s municipal tax base. It would be inaccurate to suggest every purchase generates a direct sales tax payment to the city, but it would be equally inaccurate to dismiss the broader economic contribution of people who live outside the city limits.
The success of Ludington is directly connected to the prosperity and participation of the entire county.
We should also consider the families who have lived and worked in Mason County for decades and have always considered Stearns Park their community beach. For many, visiting the beach is not a special vacation activity. It is a regular part of living along Lake Michigan.
A parent taking the children to the playground, a retired couple watching the sunset or a family meeting friends at the beach should not have to think twice about whether the visit is worth another $15 or $75 a year. My family, for instance, owns three vehicles. We don’t always drive the same vehicle to the beach. At this current rate, we, Mason County residents who spend money inside the Ludington city limits, would have to pay up to $225 a year for the priveledge of parking at the beach.
Public parks should be places where economic circumstances do not determine who feels welcome.
The Stearns family’s wishes deserve respect
There is also an important historical consideration.
Last week, Beth Hicks, a great-great-granddaughter of Justus and Paulina Stearns, contacted Mason County Press to express her family’s continued opposition to charging for parking at the park that bears the family name.
Hicks said the family has long understood that Paulina Stearns wanted the property to remain free to the public. Her late father, Robert “Bob” Gable, was also outspoken in his opposition to parking fees.
The property’s history is more complicated than a simple land donation. The city purchased much of the property through transactions involving the Stearns family, including a 1910 conveyance for $50,000 and other consideration. The deed reviewed by Mason County Press does not expressly prohibit paid parking.
But there is a difference between what may be legally permitted and what honors the intentions of those who helped establish the park.
The Stearns family played an instrumental role in creating a public waterfront destination at a time when Ludington was transitioning from its lumbering heritage toward becoming a tourism community.
The family’s expressed wishes should carry considerable weight with today’s elected officials.
The city needs to consider the full economic picture
We understand the city’s financial challenges. Maintaining Stearns Park is expensive. In 2023, city officials estimated annual maintenance costs at approximately $500,000, paid through the general fund.
Maintaining a quality public park requires money, and city officials have a responsibility to find sustainable ways to pay for those expenses.
However, a parking fee is not necessarily a financial solution simply because it generates revenue.
The city has not yet completed its revenue projections or total implementation costs. The draft proposal anticipates approximately $32,000 in seasonal staffing costs alone, in addition to parking equipment, technology, transaction processing, signage, administration and enforcement.
Before anyone considers approving paid parking, there should be a transparent accounting of what the program would actually generate after all expenses are paid.
There should also be consideration of its potential unintended consequences.
Will people avoid the waterfront because they do not want to pay? Will visitors park in nearby neighborhoods instead? Will the city ultimately spend additional resources managing parking problems created by the new fees?
And perhaps most importantly, what is the long-term cost of making Ludington a less welcoming destination?
For years, free public access to the Lake Michigan waterfront has been one of Ludington’s greatest attractions. It is a competitive advantage over communities where visiting the beach involves additional expenses.
Rather than viewing that access strictly as a municipal expense, city officials should recognize it as an investment in the community’s quality of life and tourism economy.
People who visit Stearns Park may also visit downtown businesses, restaurants and other attractions. Making the waterfront less accessible could work against the city’s broader economic development efforts.
That possibility deserves serious consideration.
If the city insists on fees, Mason County deserves consideration
MCP’s position remains that parking at Stearns Park should be free.
However, if Ludington City Council ultimately decides to implement paid parking, despite the public opposition expressed during previous discussions, it should at least provide a substantially discounted annual pass for people who live anywhere in Mason County.
A countywide discount would not make paid parking a good policy, but it would acknowledge the important relationship between Ludington and the surrounding communities.
County residents should not be treated exactly the same as occasional out-of-town visitors. They are regular customers, employees, business owners and contributors to the city’s economic success.
The current proposal makes no such distinction. Someone who lives in Hamlin Township and works and shops in Ludington could pay the same parking rate as someone visiting from another state for the first time.
That makes little sense.
At a minimum, the city should establish an affordable county-resident rate with a straightforward verification process, rather than imposing the full $75 annual charge on people who live just beyond its borders.
But again, that is a fallback position, not an endorsement of the proposal.
Ludington should remain a welcoming community
This debate is not new.
In 2017, Mason County Press published an editorial opposing a similar parking proposal. We argued then that charging people to park could discourage visitors and their spending in the city.
In June 2023, following considerable public opposition, Ludington City Council voted 6-1 against paid parking at Stearns Park. The council also unanimously directed its parks committee to pursue alternative funding sources without considering parking fees.
Those alternatives deserve renewed attention, including private sponsorships, philanthropic partnerships, grants, voluntary contributions and a careful examination of park expenses.
There is nothing wrong with asking people who value Stearns Park to help support it. There is a substantial difference, however, between encouraging community investment and requiring payment to use a public waterfront that has been freely accessible for more than a century.
Stearns Park is within the City of Ludington, but its significance extends throughout Mason County and well beyond.
It is a place where families gather, children play, visitors experience Lake Michigan and people enjoy one of the most remarkable public waterfronts in Michigan.
It is also one of the amenities that makes people want to live, work, shop and invest in this community.
Ludington should be encouraging that connection, not putting another price on it.
The city cannot reasonably expect Mason County residents to support its economy every day and then treat them as outsiders when they want to enjoy the beach.
Ludington City Council should reject the proposed parking fees and pursue other ways to maintain and improve Stearns Park.
It was a bad idea in 2017. It was a bad idea in 2023. And it remains a bad idea today.
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