Laketown Township is examining multiple options for replacing a set of stairs leading to Lake Michigan, which were closed and later removed earlier this year.
The municipality’s Parks and Recreation Commission, according to meeting minutes from Wednesday, May 21, instructed staff to seek cost estimates for either new wooden stairs or adjustable aluminum stairs called EZ Beach Steps.
EZ Beach Steps are adjustable and adaptable steps made of aluminum and PVC coating. They can be easily moved or adjusted to respond to changes in water levels or erosion along the water.
They were invented by Lisa Spaugh of West Olive, who was inspired after seeing the stairs and deck at her Lake Michigan home destroyed during a storm. In her efforts to regain access to the water, Spaugh wanted something that would last.
More: West Olive woman nets award for erosion-friendly EZ Beach Steps
The steps earned Spaugh the title of 2023 Lakeshore Innovator of the Year from Grand Valley State University’s Muskegon Innovation Hub.
Laketown Township is examining multiple options for replacing a set of stairs leading to Lake Michigan, which were closed and later removed earlier this year.
The Parks and Recreation Commission also asked staff on Wednesday to install fencing to protect dune grass along the path to the beach, according to a post on the township website.
A set of stairs leading from the parking lot at Laketown Beach to the top of the dune remain. Volunteers from EagleEye Performance Vision of Zeeland recently helped clear those stairs of sand on Community Impact Day, according to the township.
Without the other set of stairs, beach access is still possible, but more difficult. The township recommends taking the stairs up from the parking lot, then following the marked path down the bowl — a steep drop with a flat bottom amid the dune — staying on the trail and off the edges to avoid disturbing the dune and dune grass.
Once at the bottom of the bowl, go over the small hill and to the lake, heeding no trespassing signs. To get back to the parking lot, visitors must walk back up through the bowl. The township advises this is “a difficult walk” in the soft sand and there is no handrail or other assistance.
The Parks and Recreation Commission is next scheduled to meet Wednesday, June 18.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Laketown Township considers options for replacing removed beach stairs
