Lincoln Township will make major improvements to its Lake Michigan beach now that the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board has recommended the approval of a $350,000 grant for the effort.

Lincoln Township Supervisor Glenn Youngstedt tells us Lincoln Township Beach, off Notre Dame Avenue and north of Grand Mere State Park, suffered some heavy damage in 2020.

“When the lake levels went up, it just pretty much decimated that beach and really screwed up the parking lot there too, and that was a big issue,” Youngstedt said. “So a lot of this grant’s going to go to the lane going back to the parking lot and kind of restore the beach to something like what it used to be.”

The township plans to add a new paved parking area, much closer to the lake than the current parking area. The grant will also be used to tear down the old restrooms, install some portable restrooms, and add picnic tables and seating.

Youngstedt says the beach is a smaller, more intimate attraction than the other bigger name beaches most frequented by tourists. Township leaders are excited about the project.

“This is going to be a big plus for the township and the whole community, for that matter.”

The project’s total cost will be around $600,000. Due to the amount of time it takes for Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grants to be approved and then distributed, construction at the beach isn’t likely until late summer of 2025.

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund consists of oil and gas revenues generated off public lands. It was created in the 1970s as a way for the state to continually support recreation projects.