Tourism, it seems for some, is a bit of a double-edged sword. It helps fuel the local economy and keep people employed, but also causes locals to avoid popular tourist areas like downtown St. Joseph and beaches like Silver Beach County Park. At this week’s St. Joseph City Commission meeting, several residents expressed their frustration with traffic, especially at Silver Beach. They don’t think the city’s changing of traffic patterns and the county taking debit and credit cards for payment to go to the park has done enough. Berrien County Parks Director Brian Bailey’s thought is that being a tourist attraction isn’t the worst problem for a community to have.
“It’s improved over last year, and it’s a popular place,” said Bailey. “Berrien County is a wonderful destination.”
It’s been suggested that one way to help ease the delay and traffic backup for those heading into Silver Beach would be doing away with the gate attendant and installing a new parking system to have visitors use a credit or debit card at a kiosk. That is the system the city of St. Joseph has put in at its beaches, and Mayor Pro Tem Laura Goos floated the idea of requesting Berrien County do the same.
“We’ve looked into it and talked with park and city officials, so it is something we’ve looked into in the past,” Bailey told WSJM News, but he didn’t elaborate further.
St. Joseph city officials will be meeting this fall to discuss how things went this summer, especially with traffic, and look for ways to make improvements in 2020.
