Parks commission special meeting at Carriage House

The special meeting of the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, is taking place in a different location than originally planned.

The commission will meet at 6 p.m. at The Carriage House at the Felt Estate, 6597 138^th Ave. Meetings are usually at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road, but the building will be set up for the May 6 election.

Zoom is not an option for the meeting so if you are interested in the topic of the new stairs to Laketown Beach you will want to attend in person.

The agenda is available here.

Proposal for stairs

The parks commission set the special meeting to hear details of a proposal from the engineering firm Prein&Newhof about new stairs through a portion of Laketown Township Beach.

Matt Levandoski, senior landscape architect, presented the commission with a concept plan on April 16 that removes safety concerns, controls access to the beach, constructs new stairs in an area called “the bowl,” implements dune restoration and develops a plan for grant applications for other areas of the dunes.

The total concept plan which might be executed over the next three or more years includes reconstruction of the existing boardwalk and stair system from the parking lot up the dune, add approximately 90-feet of elevated deck with a platform and possible trellis on the area called “the plateau,” then 220 feet of stairs in “the bowl” with a 180-foot walkout area to the beach.

The parks commission on May 6 will discuss the plan to be presented for “the bowl” steps. The commission could decide to recommend “the bowl” stairs proposal to the township board at its May 7 meeting for funding and implementation by the staff.

The township closed the stairs on March 26 due to safety concerns. Curtis Bergman began disassembling the 32-year-old steps on April 17.

Beach still open

The beach is still accessible.

The stairs from the parking lot up the dune remain open though they are covered in sand. Please stay on the marked paths to protect the dune. Take the path through “the bowl,” a steep drop with a flat bottom. Stay off the edges and do not disturb the dune grass. Once at the bottom of “the bowl,” you’ll see another small hill. Go up and head to the lake.

Heed the no trespassing signs and follow other rules of the beach, including no fires.

To get back up the dune, stairs are no longer an option. Visitors must walk back up through “the bowl.” It is a difficult walk because of the soft sand. There are no handrails or any assistance to get back up.