County seeking grant to build fishing facilities

Fri, Sep 5, 2008    to del.icio.us

PARK TOWNSHIP — Ottawa County will construct new fishing facilities near Holland State Park as soon as next year if awarded a grant, county officials said.

The county's parks department is finishing paperwork for an application with the Lansing-based Great Lakes Fishery Trust for an estimated $400,000 grant.

The Ottawa County Parks Commission voted Wednesday to apply for the grant, according to county parks Director John Scholtz.

The area for the new fishing facilities, known as Park 12, borders Ottawa Beach Road in Park Township. Scholtz said it's a good fishing site because of the connection between Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan.

"We talked to local fishermen, and they said that was a hot area for fishing," Scholtz said.

Grants awarded by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust must involve benefits, education, protection and rehabilitation to Great Lakes fish.

The Park 12 Master Plan calls for fishing docks, more parking areas and a walkway along the channel to Lake Michigan.

"We might be able to package that all together ... and put that together as a project," Scholtz said. "We are still fine-tuning it."

Park Township officials said the parks department's previous work along Lake Macatawa — adding a parking area and fishing dock — was beneficial to residents.

"Anytime you can increase the number of places people can access the lake, it's good for the township," said Township Supervisor Stu Visser.

In coming weeks, the parks department expects to finish another Park 12 project, Scholtz said. The Mount Pisgah Dune Protection Project, which began earlier this summer, could be finished by Oct. 1.

The work will construct trail access through Holland State Park to the dune that overlooks Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa. There also will be boardwalks and a stairway to overlook decks on the dune.

"I think that is something that is going to be very popular," Visser said.

The parks department contributed about $248,160 to the project, with another nearly $70,000 coming from a state grant.

Tribune staff writer Peter Daining contributed to this report.