Mayor Closes Whihala Beach Until Further Notice
On Monday July 13, 2020, Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura announced that Whihala Beach will be CLOSED effective Wednesday, July 15, 2020 and remain closed until further notice. In addition, Whiting Lakefront Park will also be closed to vehicular traffic on the same timeline. All bike and walking trails will remain open for pedestrian use.
This action is being taken due to public safety concerns. With unusually large crowds far exceeding our normal summer attendance, it has become difficult for patrons to comply with the COVID-19 social distancing requirements and other CDC guidelines. Reduced beach area due to the high Lake Michigan water levels is also a contributing factor in maintaining the recommended distancing.
The City was forced to act in an abundance of caution and restrict access to the public amenities where unacceptable crowd levels have been gathering. Mayor Stahura states, “We’ve witnessed an alarming disregard of all Covid-19 protocol and park supervision in recent weeks. We no longer feel confident that we can provide a reasonably safe “health” environment for our patrons”. The Mayor regrets being forced to take this action, but he feels it is in the best interest of the City of Whiting and all its park patrons to do so.
This comes after a weekend where a few disturbances that police reportedly intervened and issues with crowds giving parking authorities troubles according to witness complaints on social media.
