Laketown Beach may get a shiny new set of EZ Beach Steps, after all.
The Laketown Township Board of Trustees voted April 8 to engage Lakeshore Concepts to install EZ Beach Steps through a treacherous part of the beach’s dune. The motion, however, included a provision for the work to be “substantially complete” by Memorial Day.
As of April 28, officials were still awaiting details from engineer Prein & Newhof. The municipality’s public information coordinator Jim Hayden told The Sentinel that administrators expect to hear back in early May.
The beach’s existing stairs from the top of the dune through the “bowl” and down to the beach were removed in April 2025. Officials have applied for grants for other work at the park — including new stairs from the parking lot up the dune — but are pursuing stairs in the bowl via the general fund to complete the work sooner.
Six companies submitted bids to replace the demolished stairs in 2025, ranging from $117,000 to $372,000, with varying materials. The Laketown Township Parks Commission originally recommended accepting a bid from Lakeshore Concepts of Holland to install adjustable EZ Beach Steps for $196,500 — but trustees had concerns about cost and process.
The bid’s approval was tabled for several months. Officials revisited the topic April 8 in hopes of having new stairs constructed in time for the beach-going season.
Township Supervisor Steven Ringelberg initially made a motion to approve a bid from Curtis Bergman, who handled removal of the original stairs, for wooden steps at a cost of $117,000. Bergman submitted the lowest of all six bids.
Ringelberg said he likes the idea of EZ Beach Steps for other areas of the beach, but doesn’t think they’re necessary in front of the dune.
Other trustees, however, preferred to respect the recommendation from the Parks Commission.
“I think it’s only fair that we listen to them,” said Trustee Mike Koeman. “This is their job. That’s what they’re here for.”
Ringelberg’s motion failed 1-3, with Koeman, Treasurer Jim Johnson and Clerk Jim Delaney voting no. Trustee Mark Timmerman was absent.
Johnson then made a motion to approve the bid from Lakeshore Concepts. The motion was eventually amended to include a provision that construction must be “substantially complete” — as judged by Township Manager Stephanie Fox — by Memorial Day.
The motion passed 3-1, with Ringelberg voting no.
If the target isn’t met, the municipality will re-bid the work with the specification of using EZ Beach Steps — to compare installation prices. If the project is re-bid, construction likely won’t take place until the fall.
For now, a set of stairs from the parking lot to the dune remains in place. The beach is still open, but is only accessible by climbing through the bowl — a steep drop with a flat bottom amidst the dune. To return to the parking lot, beachgoers must climb up the bowl, which officials advise is “a difficult walk” in soft sand, with no handrail or other assistance.
EZ Beach Steps were invented by Lisa Spaugh of West Olive. Her creation is adjustable, able to move up or down as a dune changes over time.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Laketown may get a set of EZ Beach Steps, after all. What we know
Reporting by Mitchell Boatman, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
