‘It’s about what is best for this community’: Park Township purchases Coast Guard property
Township officials announced this week the signing of an "offer to purchase" agreement with the federal government to acquire the decommissioned Holland U.S. Coast Guard Station.
PARK TWP. — Park Township Fire Chief Scott Gamby spent several years tracking a growing gap in emergency coverage along one of West Michigan’s most frequented shorelines.
That gap is now poised to close.
Township officials announced this week the signing of an "offer to purchase" agreement with the federal government to acquire the decommissioned Holland U.S. Coast Guard Station.
The $1.4 million acquisition will transform the 1992 facility into a permanent marine division for the township, providing a dedicated base of operations near the entrance to Holland State Park. The building is 1,750 square feet on the first floor with an 837-square-foot second floor.
For Gamby, the agreement represents the culmination of years of negotiation with federal and state legislators.
“This is huge. This here is the biggest thing that I’ve ever done,” Gamby said. “I’m not celebrating yet until we get signed paperwork, but we are starting to put the party together. It was a long process. Longterm, this will make a day and night difference. It had to happen.”
The transition follows a 2022 U.S. Coast Guard restructuring that closed several smaller satellite stations.
The Holland station — previously staffed by a five-person crew during the summer months — was consolidated into the Grand Haven station. While federal officials cited the use of larger, faster boats to cover the distance, local leaders remained concerned about the safety of the more than 1 million visitors who pass through the state park gates annually.
The station at 2388 Ottawa Beach Road is designed to function as a multi-agency safety hub. The township will provide docking and office space for its own fire department, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
“This is going to be a situation where we can show that three different agencies can work together and cooperate and make it a better place and a safe community,” Gamby said.
The fire department’s marine division is responsible for 18 miles of shoreline, including six miles along Lake Michigan. They also have mutual and automatic aid agreements that extend to the waters around Windmill Island and reach as far east as the Black River.
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To fund the purchase, the township used its $800,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds and secured a $600,000 earmark from the state. Gamby said that the department handled 19 water-related calls last year, including four direct rescues on the lake.
“It’s not about Park Township. It’s not about the DNR or the marine division. It’s about what is best for this community,” Gamby said. “Every year we see over 100 people drown in the Great Lakes and we are trying to put a stop to it. I’ve spent too much time out there looking for parents’ kids.”
The facility is expected to be under township control by the end of February, with a formal signing ceremony tentatively scheduled for the end of the month.
Renovations are expected to begin around March, and the station will be operating by summer.
— Heather VanDyke covers northern Ottawa County for the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at hvandyke@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
