Year in Review: Pope Leo XIV top story of 2025

The announcement that Pope Leo XIV went to school at the St. Augustine Seminary at what is now Shore Acres Park was the most popular story on the Laketown Township website for 2025.

Here are the Top 10 most read posts on the website for the year.

The website is laketowntwp.org. It offers details on permits, meetings, agendas, minutes, ordinances, resolutions and parks. The home page is regularly updated with features and news.

You can sign up for automatic updates on the website. Scroll down under the photos to “Sign up to receive notifications when we post new stories!” and enter your email.

The Top Stories

No. 1: Pope Leo XIV: Robert F. Prevost, who is now known as Pope Leo XIV, attended classes at the St. Augustine Seminary in Laketown Township, the site of what is now the Felt Mansion and Shore Acres Park. The new Pope was named on May 8.

Prevost, of Chicago, is the first American Pope.

“We are proud to steward the historic buildings and landscapes of Pope Leo XIV’s formative years,” said Elizabeth McEwen, Executive Director of the Felt Estate. “His life of service, his commitment to social justice, and his unique connection to both American and global communities reflect values that we seek to honor through the preservation of the Felt Mansion and the programs we offer.”

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No. 2: Odor investigations: Resident complaints increased over the summer and fall about odors originating at Cocoa Corp. and Republic Services at 4368 60^th St. Township officials toured the facility in their ongoing investigation into the smell. The township is working with Cocoa and Republic to mitigate the smell.

The board of trustees on Wednesday, Oct. 8, unanimously voted to have staff members continue sending resident complaints to the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Republic Services and Cocoa Corp.

To report an odor, record your address, the date of the smell, the time of the smell, the wind conditions and other relevant description such as whether it is a garbage-related odor or a compositing/organic odor so EGLE can identify a pattern and help determine if the source is the transfer station or the compost operation.

Send your complaint to office@laketowntwp.org. The township will pass the complaint on to EGLE, and to Republic Services and Cocoa.

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No. 3: Interurban bus service: On May 1, buses from the Saugatuck-Douglas Interurban Transit Authority began picking up and dropping off riders in Laketown Township for the first time. The service was popular and the high ridership numbers meant the township share of the costs began to increase, concerning township board members.

The board and the transit authority could not come to a deal and on Dec. 11, the board voted to end the service in the township as of Jan. 10, 2026.

Residents are encouraged to contact Allegan County Transportation at (269) 673-4229 or visit here.

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No. 4: Township manager: The board of trustees carried over its search for a new manager from 2024. Two candidates from the first round withdrew their names from the search. The board put the new search on hold while members received training on the manager-council form of government from an outside firm and learned to better work together.

On June 11, the board agreed to begin advertising the full-time manager position. The board hired Stephanie Fox who began in her role as manager on Sept. 29.

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No. 5: Saugatuck Dunes State Park in spotlight: Drew Barrymore, actress and talk show host, listed Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township as a Top 10 “Backyard Bucket List” destination in August. The park in Laketown Township ranked No. 9.

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No. 6: Felt Mansion concerts: The stage at the Carriage House at the Felt Estate came alive in July with three free Thursdays at the Felt Summer Concerts.

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No. 7: Beach stairs: The township closed the 32-year-old stairs at Laketown Township Beach, 6710 142^nd Ave., on March 26 due to safety concerns. The Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission researched putting new steps in a different part of the dunes and recommended the township contract with Lakeshore Concepts for $196,500 to install adjustable aluminum beach stairs with composite tread called EZ Beach Steps in an area called “the bowl.” The township board tabled the proposal due to money concerns on Dec. 11 and directed staff to seek grants to pay for the new steps and other parts of a three-phase plan. This means new stairs might not be installed until 2027.

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No. 8: Volunteers at state park: More than 30 people stepped up with loppers and saws to help clear out invasive species at Saugatuck Dunes State Park this season. Volunteers worked throughout the summer around the state park.

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No. 9: New township zoning map available: The township put out a new zoning map, posting it online for residents.

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No. 10: Short-term rentals: A moratorium on free-standing short-term rentals where the owner does not live on the property went into effect May 19 and was extended through June 30, 2026. The board said these types of short-term rentals generate complaints and take needed housing from families.

A special joint committee made up of the entire township board and planning commission met four times starting in August to gather information and collect public input about rentals. That special committee wrapped up its work and dissolved on Nov. 5. The issue of the moratorium then went to the planning commission that same night where commissioners recommended the extension. Planners are now working on changes to the short-term rental rules in the township.