Parks commission recommends adjustable steps for beach

The Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, approved a company to build new stairs at Laketown Township beach, recommending the township board of trustees accept the $196,500 bid from Lakeshore Concepts of Holland with its adjustable EZ Steps.

Because the parks commission does not have enough money in its budget for the project, the township board must approve the expenditure. The board of trustees has not yet decided when it will address the issue. The next township board meetings are in November – a workshop at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5 and the regular meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12.

The bids

The chosen bid was in the middle of the pack of proposals from six companies ranging from $117,000 to $372,000 with construction material including lumber, composite and metal.

“You’ve got some really good options in front of you,” said Matt Levandoski, senior landscape architect of Prein&Newhof who has been guiding the township through the stairs process. Levandoski noted that he was unaware of any use of the EZ Stairs in a public park to date.

The bids are:

$117,000 – Curtis Bergman. Wood materials.

$154,000 – Dune Restoration Services. Wood materials.

$164,000 – Dune Restoration Services. Composite materials.

$196,500 – Lakeshore Concepts Inc. Adjustable aluminum beach stairs with composite tread.

$246,000 – TJM Services. Material not identified.

$260,726 – Lakeshore Customs. Wood materials.

$372,000 – Riverworks Construction. Wood and galvanized steel materials.

Prior to the meeting, in private, the parks commissioners ranked their preferences with Lakeshore Concepts coming out on top, followed by Dune Restoration Services, Lakeshore Customs, Curtis Bergman, Riverworks Construction and TJM Services, according to commission Chairperson Brad Laninga.

Commissioners liked the adjustability of the steps from Lakeshore Concepts so the steps can be moved up or down depending on how the dune changes over time. Costs to adjust the steps were not included in the proposals.

Parks members said that the lowest price doesn’t always mean the best product.

Commissioner Michael Teekamp pointed out that the township’s request for proposals states a recommendation will be based on the “lowest qualified bidder.”

Teekamp was the only commissioner to vote against recommending Lakeshore Concepts. Laninga and Commissioners Tom Hoekman, MaryJo Bertolino, and Sherry Sirko supported the recommendation.

Earlier presentations

In March, Lakeshore Concepts brought a section of the steps to show the parks commission. At that special meeting on March 17, Lakeshore Customs and Curtis Bergman also made presentations about repairing and/or replacing the beach stairs.

At the Feb. 19 parks meeting, Dune Restoration Services discussed its options for dune restoration and stairs.

The commission did not act on any of the February or March presentations.

At a special meeting on May 6, the commission saw details for the possible new steps for the first time.

The proposal acted on Wednesday night calls for 220 feet of stairs, railings and landings where the current orange-fenced area is from the plateau through what is called “the bowl” at the beach, 6710 142^nd Ave.

No vegetation or plantings to curtail dune erosion were included in the bids. Commissioners agreed the orange fencing needs to remain to protect the dune and keep people off the slopes.

The previous set of wooden steps, built 32 years ago, was closed on March 26 due to safety concerns. The steps were removed in May and a new fencing added in June to keep visitors off the dunes to prevent further erosion.