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By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — Descendants of the family for whom Stearns Park is named are opposing the City of Ludington’s latest proposal to charge visitors to park at the popular Lake Michigan beach, saying the fees would go against the family’s longstanding wishes that the park remain free to the public.
Beth Hicks, a great-great-granddaughter of Justus and Paulina Stearns, contacted Mason County Press following Thursday’s article about the city’s renewed consideration of paid parking. Hicks said her family continues to oppose charging visitors to park at Stearns Park.
“My family and I continue to be strongly opposed to paid parking at Stearns Park, and we wish to continue to honor the wishes of Justus Stearns’ wife, Paulina,” Hicks said.
Hicks said her family has long understood that Paulina Stearns wanted the property to remain free to the public. She said her late father, Robert “Bob” Gable, was outspoken with his opposition to parking fees at Stearns Park.
Gable was the great-grandson of Justus and Paulina Stearns and maintained the family’s historic summer cottage, Lake Forest, at Epworth Heights, now maintained by his adult children.
Justus S. Stearns. Photo from Mason County Historical Society.
Hicks said she plans to contact city officials on behalf of the family to express its opposition to the latest proposal.
The Stearns family’s connection to the park dates to the early 20th century, when Ludington businessman and philanthropist Justus Stearns envisioned a public beach as part of the city’s transition from a lumbering center to a tourism destination.
Stearns, who operated several manufacturing businesses and lumber operations throughout Michigan and Kentucky, owned considerable lakefront property north of the harbor.
In the early 1900s, he offered to sell property along Lake Michigan to the city for use as a public park.
City voters subsequently approved raising $50,000 through a bond issue to purchase the property.
Historical property records reviewed by Mason County Press show that the transfer of land that eventually became Stearns Park involved several transactions.
A deed dated Sept. 25, 1902, conveyed property from the City of Ludington to the Stearns Hotel Company, a corporation controlled by the Stearns family. The property included Blocks 2 and 3 of the Lake Side Addition, with certain lots excluded.
A subsequent deed, dated Jan. 27, 1910, transferred that property, along with additional lakefront land, from the Stearns Hotel Company back to the city for $50,000 and other valuable consideration.
The deed was executed by Justus S. Stearns, president of the company, and Robert L. Stearns, its secretary. It was recorded with the Mason County Register of Deeds on Feb. 24, 1910.
The 1910 deed included a restriction prohibiting private sewers from being constructed on the property. However, the deed does not expressly prohibit parking fees or require free public admission.
The development of Stearns Park also involved later contributions from members of the family.
In 1948, Laura Freeman Stearns, the widow of Justus Stearns’ son, Robert, donated an additional parcel near what is now the Ludington Area Jaycees mini golf course. Historical accounts indicate that donation included a requirement that the land remain in use as a park.
The deed for that later donation was not among the property records reviewed by MCP, and the legal implications of the park’s various property restrictions have not been determined.
The family’s opposition to charging for parking, however, remains rooted in what Hicks described as the original intention to provide a public lakefront destination available to everyone.
Parking fees have been discussed before
The idea of charging for parking at Stearns Park is not new.
In February 2017, MCP reported that the city was researching the possibility of charging non-city residents for parking as a way to help offset municipal expenses.
The discussion had originated during city budget meetings in late 2016, when officials were exploring ways to address projected general fund shortfalls.
The idea generated considerable public opposition.
In April 2017, the city’s Parks Committee voted unanimously to recommend against pursuing parking fees. Ludington City Council subsequently set the proposal aside.
The subject resurfaced in 2023.
Following several council and committee discussions and extensive public comments opposing the proposal, council voted 6-1 on June 26, 2023, to refuse to allow paid parking at Stearns Park.
The council also unanimously directed its parks committee to explore other funding sources without considering paid parking.
Then-City Manager Mitch Foster noted that the decision could be reconsidered by a future council.
At the time, city officials estimated that maintaining Stearns Park cost approximately $500,000 annually, with those expenses paid through the general fund.
Latest proposal calls for $15 daily parking
The issue is now scheduled to return to Ludington City Council for discussion Monday, Oct. 26.
A draft proposal recommended by the city’s Cemetery & Parks Committee on Sept. 22 calls for a $15 daily parking fee or a $75 annual pass for visitors and nonresidents.
Qualifying City of Ludington property owners and residents would receive free parking passes for vehicles registered to their city addresses.
However, the current proposal does not provide a reduced rate for Mason County residents living outside city limits.
The program would operate annually from May 15 through Sept. 15, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and would cover approximately 411 parking spaces.
In addition to Stearns Park, the proposal includes parking areas near the Loomis Street boat launch, mini golf course, skate park, lower water plant and west end of Ludington Avenue.
According to city officials, revenue generated by the parking fees would be used for maintenance and improvements at Stearns Park and other waterfront and park facilities, reducing the amount of money needed from the general fund.
The proposal remains in draft form. Council has not approved paid parking, and final revenue projections and implementation costs have not been completed.
For the Stearns family, the renewed proposal is another attempt to charge for access to a park that has been central to the family’s history for more than a century.
Hicks said she hopes the city will continue to honor the family’s wishes and keep parking at Stearns Park free.
The topic of the Stearns Park parking is on the agenda for the next City Council meeting, which is Monday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 400 S. Harrison St.
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