Coast Guard closing Holland station on Lake Michigan this summer

Audra Gamble, The Holland Sentinel
·2 min read

HOLLAND — The Coast Guard will no longer operate in Holland.

The Holland Coast Guard station, at 2388 Ottawa Beach Road, is considered a seasonal station — it's only staffed from Memorial Day to Labor Day. But the Coast Guard announced Thursday, May 26, that it will not be staffing the station this year at all.

The Holland Coast Guard station during an open house on June 3, 2017. The station will no longer be open during the summer and all Coast Guard staff and assets will be consolidated to Station Grand Haven.
The Holland Coast Guard station during an open house on June 3, 2017. The station will no longer be open during the summer and all Coast Guard staff and assets will be consolidated to Station Grand Haven.

Instead, crews and assets will be consolidated to the larger Coast Guard station in Grand Haven. The same consolidation is happening at a station near Duluth, Minnesota.

"Consolidating these seasonal stations will not affect the ability of the multi-asset, multi-agency search-and-rescue system across the Great Lakes to respond to emergencies or increase risk to the boating public," read a statement from the Coast Guard.

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The Coast Guard said the Holland station has averaged about 24 cases per summer since 2010 while Lake Michigan as a whole averaged between 600 and 700 cases a year.

“We would not consolidate these stations if we thought it would increase the risk to boaters or the maritime industry,” said Lt. Paul Rhynard, public affairs officer for the Ninth Coast Guard District. “This decision was made after careful research and with the safety of the public as our top priority. Modern boats, aircraft and strong partnerships with other search-and-rescue agencies allow us to eliminate redundancies and ensure the best use of limited resources.”

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Plans were announced last summer to close Holland's Coast Guard station, along with three other small stations. Holland's station used to be staffed all summer, but was changed to operating only on weekends in 2018. Station Holland opened in 1885 and sits on Lake Macatawa.

Lake Michigan is the deadliest of the Great Lakes when it comes to drownings.
Lake Michigan is the deadliest of the Great Lakes when it comes to drownings.

Park Township and city of Holland fire departments are able to respond to drownings or other emergencies on the water, and the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office marine division patrols the lakeshore throughout the summer.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland Coast Guard station closed, water safety support to come from Grand Haven