Park Township to purchase former Coast Guard station for water rescue base

Park Township signed an offer to purchase the former Holland Coast Guard Station for $1.4 million to convert it into a water rescue base for the fire department; renovations are expected to begin around March with operations planned by summer.

Park Township has signed an offer to purchase the former Holland Coast Guard Station to convert it into a water rescue operations facility for the township fire department. The building at 2280 Ottawa Beach Road sits on Lake Macatawa near Holland State Park. The township will use a mix of state funds and ARPA money to complete the purchase. The renovated building will become Station 3 for the Park Township Fire Department marine division. Key details: - The township agreed to purchase the former Coast Guard station for $1.4 million at 2280 Ottawa Beach Road on Lake Macatawa. - Funding for the purchase includes $600,000 allocated in the state budget and $800,000 in ARPA funds. - The building was built in 1992 and has about 1,750 square feet on the first floor and 837 square feet on the second floor; officials said it is usable as is. - Renovations are expected to begin around March, with the station planned to be operating by summer. - The site will house the Park Township Fire Department marine division (Station 3), staffed by two full-time firefighters plus paid on-call personnel, and will include a full-time EMS unit for docking and staging rescues. - The marine division covers 18 miles of shoreline, including six miles along Lake Michigan, and the township already owns two specially equipped personal watercrafts. Summary: The purchase gives the township a dedicated base for water rescue operations and aims to reduce response times during the summer season. Renovations are scheduled to start around March and the station is expected to be operating by summer. A proposal to purchase a rescue boat is under consideration and depends on future budgeting.