At Laketown Beach, 6710 142nd Ave., the way down to Lake Michigan for the past two summers has been a sand-floored dip in the dune that the township calls "the Bowl." Going down is easy. Coming back up is the hard part. The township's own beach page says the walk back to the top through soft sand is "extremely difficult if not dangerous," with no handrails and no help of any kind.
That climb is the one thing this fall's project is meant to fix. Laketown Township is paying up to $210,255 for adjustable aluminum stairs through the Bowl, and the contractor's window for installing them closes Nov. 25. The design came out of a long argument over cost. The stairs only cover the stretch from the top of the dune down to the beach. The boardwalk, the platform and the stairs from the parking lot all depend on two state grant applications that haven't been decided.
Why the cheapest bid didn't win
The old wooden stairs closed March 26, 2025, over safety concerns. The township says they were 32 years old. They were taken out that spring, and fencing went up in June to keep people off the dune. FOX 17 reported at the time that visitors were left climbing the sand to get back up, and that station put the stairs' age at 37 years.
Bids for new stairs came in that September and ranged from $117,000 to $372,000, with lumber, composite and metal designs in the mix. The parks commission recommended Lakeshore Concepts LLC of Holland at $196,500. That was not the lowest bid, and the township board asked why. The commission's answer centered on the product. EZ Beach Steps are aluminum stairs with composite treads that can be raised or lowered as the dune shifts, and the commission had been discussing them since 2023.
On Dec. 11, 2025, the board tabled the proposal over cost, and the treasurer said he wasn't sure the township could afford it. The board told staff to apply for grants instead. That pushed the stairs past the 2026 beach season. Here is how the decision played out from there:
- March 18, 2026: The parks commission asked the board again to fund EZ Beach Steps through the Bowl.
- April 8, 2026: The board chose Lakeshore Concepts, still at $196,500.
- May 6, 2026: The board authorized a contract for up to $210,255. The township said the cost had gone up since the bid was submitted.
- Installation window: About three weeks of work, after Labor Day and before Nov. 25.
WOOD TV8 reported that the township had hoped to have them in by Memorial Day, and that the stairs come from EZ Beach Steps in West Olive.
A beach where the stairs keep getting buried
Laketown Beach explains why the township paid more for stairs that can be adjusted. About 51 steps still lead from the parking lot up to the dune path. Those steps stayed open after the lower stairs came out, but the township's beach page describes them as covered in sand. In August, a parks commissioner's report for Laketown Beach read, in full:
"Sand covering parking lines, fences, stairs buried."
Fixed wooden stairs on a dune that keeps moving end up buried, undercut or both. Before the board tabled it, the plan called for 220 feet of stairs, railings and landings in the orange-fenced area that runs from the top of the dune down to the shore. The new stairs are built so they can be raised or lowered as the sand shifts.
Where the install stands heading into November
The township manager's August report, included in the Sept. 9 board packet, said work was planned to start after Labor Day, the contractor's bond had arrived, and the stairs were being manufactured. That month, township facilities staff met with the contractor and designed and ordered signs marking the beach as a construction zone, meant to keep people from getting onto the beach from the parking lot. At the Oct. 7 board meeting, the manager gave trustees an update on the stair work.
So between now and Nov. 25, the parking-lot entrance may be marked off with those construction-zone signs. The beach's usual rules still apply: open dawn to dusk, no dogs, no fires, limited paved parking and a portable restroom.
The same manager's reports cover a second township repair that touches the beach commute. A sinkhole opened over the culvert under the shared-use path along Blue Star Highway, east of 62nd Street. The Allegan County Road Commission's lowest bid for the work came in higher than expected. On Sept. 24, at a special meeting, the township board approved $49,999 to have Brenner Excavating replace the culvert. The township has asked for the job to be done as soon as possible, and Nov. 15 at the latest.
The parts of the beach that depend on the DNR
The Bowl stairs are one piece of a three-phase plan. The other two phases depend on two applications the township filed March 31, 2026: a $150,000 Passport Grant and a $371,200 Trust Fund Grant, both from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. If the grants come through, they would pay for:
- More stairs from the parking lot and at the top of the dune
- A viewing platform
- Benches and signage
- Fencing for the parking lot
- Landscaping
Back in December 2025, the township described these later phases as a rebuilt boardwalk and stair system from the parking lot up the dune, plus about 90 feet of elevated deck with a platform and possibly a trellis on a flat stretch called "the plateau."
The manager's September report gives the preliminary DNR scores: 350 out of 500 for the Trust Fund application and 175 out of 250 for the Passport application. The township called both scores very good and sent in more information to try to raise them. The township expects to hear by the end of the year. Until then, the plan beyond the Bowl stairs isn't funded. The parking-lot steps the parks report described as buried could stay as they are into next summer.
Other ways to the lake while the Bowl is a work zone
The township's own beach page lists easier nearby ways to reach Lake Michigan. With construction possible at Laketown Beach through late November, these are the ones with current, published rules:
| Access point | Address | How you reach the water | Fall details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saugatuck Dunes State Park | 6575 138th Ave. | Beach Trail, 0.75 mile one way, the shortest route to 2.5 miles of shoreline | Recreation Passport required for vehicle entry |
| Shore Acres Park | Laketown Township | Trails connect to the state park trails that lead to the beach | Dirt parking lot, no charge |
| West Side County Park | 2152 Lakeshore Drive, Fennville | Stairs down to 630 feet of Lake Michigan beach | Free access per Laketown's listing |
| Tunnel Park | 66 Lakeshore Drive N | Swimming beach; wooded trail near the south shelter leads to the dune overlook | Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. from April 1 until the first snowfall; vehicle permit only from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day; overlook stairs under construction |
| Oval Beach | City of Saugatuck | Public beach | Open year-round |
Tunnel Park is dealing with the same problem as Laketown Beach. Ottawa County notes that its dune-climb overlook stairs are under construction, and points visitors to the wooded trail instead. For the state park, the Michigan DNR page lists the Recreation Passport requirement and the trail distances. The Allegan County listing for West Side County Park describes its beach and stairs.
The next dates to watch are Nov. 15 for the Blue Star Highway culvert, Nov. 25 for the Bowl stairs and year-end for the DNR's decision on the two grants. The township posts updates on its Laketown Beach page and in its board packets.
If you own near this stretch of shoreline, how easy it is to reach the beach is part of what your home offers. At Kersh Ruhl, we follow changes like the Laketown Beach stairs so the story we tell about your property is current when buyers ask. Request your complimentary lakeshore marketing plan, and we'll show you how we'd present your home's location along this shore.
