- If Harbor Shores can take our property, it can take anyone’s—including yours.
- If Harbor Shores can circumvent legal processes to take our land, it can do the same with wetlands, parks, public beaches and community buildings.
- This action threatens 100 manufacturing jobs, desperately needed in Benton Harbor
- If Harbor Shores’ action closes or stops production at NPC, as many as 17 plants (and thousands of employees) will be idled across the country.
Here is an overview map showing all the ways NPC is feeling the SQUEEZE. This map shows a few of our complaints:
- Inquiry into Miller Pond property (not on the above map)
- Planning townhomes on our property
- Rezoning our industrial area to residential (2007)
- Proposed city-wide zoning changes (6/2012)
- Broken water main–disrupting two shifts of production
- Creating a public safety hazard by constructing a golf cart path across our 8th Street entrance
- Creating a public safety hazard by building a “bicycle path” across two company entrances on Klock Road
- Attempts to redesignate Klock Road removing our parking area
First off Mr. Bruce…Jim Kesterke was not let go he retired. So if you were leading that charge get the facts right. Last I heard the PGA was giving the city 20 million dollars…funny how that never get mentioned…Jeo is also correct…had the zonings not been right the bank would have never approved the loan. What a lot of people also don’t know is that a lot of companies,.such as NPC shut down for a week or two for retooling. What a great time to do that. In all Harbor Shores and the PGA will bring more to the city of Benton Harbor than NPC ever will. I do realize that they employ a lot of people from the community, but when has one company ever meant more than an entire city?
Panda, Jim Kesterke “retired” because, otherwise, he would have been fired. Plain and simple. He knew it, which is why he sent an attorney to represent him to Township meetings. I know what the facts are. Technically, he retired. Under pressure, since he was caught lying to the Township board about a bogus Policies and Procedures manual that he tried to pass off as legit, not only to two citizens (myself being one of them), but to his bosses on the Board…the last in a long series of lies that he was caught in.
As to the New Products stuff, well, if the PGA is giving BH $20 million, it sure hasn’t reached the local news. Besides, since when in our country does giving money give someone the right to trample on the rights of others? You sound like you could be bought, given that mentality. Myself, I would never cede my Constitutional rights for ANY price. Period. The cost of these rights was the blood of brave Americans.
As to the “retooling” suggestion, that is a decision that New Products should make for themselves, not have it made for them by an outside entity. Apparently, you believe that the rights of New Products are less than the City itself. As I once suggested to Mr. Kesterke, you might want to take a moment to read the Constitution. I don’t believe you will find anything in there regarding rights being lessened because of size.
I will respect you when you have the decency to sign your real name instead of hiding behind a false one, by the way.
When has one company meant more than a city? Uh, can you say “Whirlpool”, who has constantly leveraged threats of leaving the area to get their way? Good riddance to bad trash, I say to that.
It would appear the issue is that NP was not made aware of a tax sale which included it’s property.
How did PNC Bank commit to a mortgage without a clean title?
This does not appear to be Whirlpool’s or Cornerstone’s fault, so what entity is at fault here?
What is happening to New Products and Jean Klock Park is an OUTRAGE. The unmitigated gall of the Whirlpool/Cornerstone/Harbor Shores axis of evil is, I believe, unprecedented in our area and MUST be met with counteraction. The apathy of most citizens in our area is PATHETIC. The problem is in the failure of our local area schools to teach that civic responsibility doesn’t just mean protecting your OWN interests and rights, but those of others. I was “fortunate” enough to have visited Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich in the summer of 1995; one of its most famous internees was Pastor Martin Niemoeller, who wrote what I believe to be the greatest poem ever regarding protection of the rights of others…the “First they came for” poem. I urge ALL people to read this poem. It helped me to understand exactly why it is that standing up for the rights of others is critical for the protection of my rights. My fight in Berrien Springs against former Police Chief Jim Kesterke was based in large part on Niemoeller’s poem; he never did anything to me personally, but his blatant racism convinced me that he had to go. I fought for a long time against overwhelming odds, but eventually the truth won and he was let go. I see the same kind of injustice in what is being perpetrated by Berrien County’s axis of evil, and it must stop.
Why isn’t the local daily newspaper covering this issue? The emergency manager is NOT doing his job; the company’s rights are being trampled upon (who ever heard of a golf course expanding on to current private property AND promising free parking on the company’s lot during the golf tournament. The company owner should not have to read about it in the paper or in tournament literature.
As a former journalist, I am appalled that the editors and reporters aren’t doing their jobs in covering this issue. I can’t believe Whirlpool keeps pushing onto private land and the Benton Harbor public officials are crazy by not supporting a business that employs its residents – especially a well-established business that hasn’t left the city.
The obvious problem is the City Government is being run by people who do not believe in property rights. The methods being used are heavy handed. The value of this employer and all the good things that NPC brings to the community are being ignored if favor of ” a greater good” for the community. NPC builds the wealth of the community, the alternative development is just more consumption. As a Nation we need more production and less self indulgent consumption. I believe wealth creation is more valuable than consumption when it’s in place and succeeding and being employed to support the people who live and work in the area. Redesign the golf course to stay clear of the NPC facility and give back the stolen property.