Departments & Staff

More than three decades of service to Laketown Township – Al Meshkin, Township Manager

Al Meshkin has overseen many projects and initiatives through the years to ensure Laketown Township in Michigan’s Allegan County remains a great place to live. Nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan between Holland and Saugatuck, the 21.6-square-mile community has developed several new parks during Al’s tenure.

The parks include Wolters Woods on 147th Avenue, Sanctuary Woods on 66th Avenue, Huyser Farm on 64th Street, Shore Acres on 138th Avenue and Township Hall Park on Beeline. Shore Acres derived its name from the farm located on the property owned by Dorr E. Felt. The property used to house a state prison, which the township purchased in the mid-1990s from the state. It also includes the historic Felt Mansion, a popular venue for weddings and gatherings, and also features the historic 1904 chapel of Gibson Christian Reformed Church. The “newer” parks are in addition to longstanding township parks on 142nd Avenue and Farview Park on 138th Avenue.

“We’ve had a really good development and growth of township parks,” Al said. “We’ve also established a bike path system, now offering 12 miles of bike paths in the township. We built a new fire station on 60th Street as well. As you can imagine, this was a big deal in the life of our township.”

A native of Allegan, Al graduated from Fennville High School and Western Michigan University. He has led Laketown Township for 33 years and has seen it grow to nearly 6,000 residents. Al is quick to express his appreciation for dedication and talents provided by the six full-time staff members in the township all office.

“We have an incredible team,” he said. “These folks – along with our township’s unique character – make it hard to think about retirement. Sure, that day is coming I know, but I still enjoy the work we do here.”

The Laketown Township staff is here to help. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at (616) 335-3050. Office hours are Monday – Friday from 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Contact Al at al@laketowntwp.org.

Administration

Heather Jahr
Assessor
heather@laketowntwp.org

Michelle Sall
Community Development Director
michelle@laketowntwp.org

Jim Hayden
Township Communications Coordinator
jimh@laketowntwp.org

Amy Scholten	Administrative Assistant/Finance	amy@laketowntwp.org
Charlene Fields	Administrative Assistant/Deputy Treasurer	charlene@laketowntwp.org
Jenifer French	Administrative Assistant/Deputy Clerk	jenifer@laketowntwp.org
Patty Meyer	Felt Estate Operations Director	patty@laketowntwp.org
Brett Grams	Facilities Operations	brett@laketowntwp.org

Holiday Closures

The office is closed on the following holidays:

New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day.