LAKETOWN TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Nov. 15, 2022) – Laketown Township is adding to its parks system.
The township board agreed on Wednesday, Nov. 9, to purchase 2.5 acres of land and a house already bordered on three sides by 36.5 acres of Wolters Woods Park. The purchase price — $356,428.50. The township closed on the property Monday, Nov. 14.
Supervisor Linda Howell noted that the parcel is surrounded on three sides by parkland that needs to be overseen by the township. “The best way to protect it … is to buy it,” she said.
Trustee Jim Dalaney opposed the purchase.The township already has infrastructure in need of repair, he said.“We should not be shelling out $350-K,” he said. “We have so many other things we can use the money for.”
Several residents spoke against the purchase saying that taxes are too high and the township doesn’t need the added expense of another house. Jeremy Van Hoven, who is related to the Wolters family, supported the purchase. “This is an excellent opportunity to continue the legacy that has been started with
the original purchase of the surrounding properties back in the early ‘90s,” he wrote in a letter to the township board. Van Hoven is also a member of the township Parks and Recreation Commission.
The board voted 4-1 to buy the land.
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